Description
Price: $42.99 - $31.80
(as of Apr 10, 2025 20:51:19 UTC – Details)
R. Andrew Chesnut offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint’s supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin Americans and immigrants in the U.S. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity. In particular, Chesnut shows Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.
Publisher : Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (October 4, 2017)
Language : English
Paperback : 264 pages
ISBN-10 : 0190633336
ISBN-13 : 978-0190633332
Item Weight : 10.6 ounces
Dimensions : 8.27 x 5.51 x 0.59 inches
Customers say
Customers find this book well-researched and easy to understand, providing an excellent history of Santa Muerte. They appreciate its readable style and color descriptions, with one customer noting how candles are arranged according to color. However, the book receives mixed feedback about the author’s repetition.
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