013110MexicanRoadsideCapillasMP0842
SHOT 2/1/10 1:49:21 PM - A santisima muerte candle in a capilla near Naco, Mexico along Highway 2. Santa Muerte is a deity or saint-like figure worshiped or venerated in Mexico, probably a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. The name literally translates to "Saint Death." Mexican culture since pre-Hispanic times has always maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in the widespread Mexican celebration of the syncretic Day of the Dead. Catholic elements of that celebration include the use of skeletons to remind people of their mortality. Santa Muerte generally appears as a skeletal figure, clad in a long robe and carrying one or more objects, usually a scythe and a globe. As the worship of this deity was clandestine until recently, most prayers and other rites are done privately in the home. However, for the past ten years or so, worship has become more public, especially in Mexico City. The cult is condemned by the Catholic Church in Mexico, but it is firmly entrenched among Mexico's lower classes and criminal worlds. Roadside capillas, or tiny chapels, in the Mexican states of Nayarit, Sinaloa and Sonora. The capillas are common along the roads and highways of Mexico which is heavily Catholic and are often dedicated to certain patron saints or to the memory of a loved one that has passed away. Often times they contain prayer candles, pictures, personal artifacts or notes. (Photo by Marc Piscotty / © 2010)
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