Collection: Santa Muerte

Who Is Santa Muerte?

Santa Muerte, in full Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, is a folk saint: a holy figure honored by the people rather than recognized by a church. She is death herself, shown as a robed skeleton holding a scythe and a globe, and her devotees call her La Flaca, the Skinny Lady, La Huesuda, the Bony Lady, and La Niña Blanca, the White Girl. Scholars trace her to the meeting of two worlds, the Spanish figure of the Grim Reaper and older Mexican ideas of death such as the Aztec lady of the dead, Mictecacihuatl. Her devotion was kept quietly in homes for generations and came into public view in 2001, when a shrine was opened on a street in the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City. The Catholic Church does not accept her, and her following has grown into the millions all the same, in Mexico, Central America, and the United States.

She is not the same as the Day of the Dead, its painted skulls, or La Catrina. The Day of the Dead honors the family's dead; Santa Muerte is a saint of death itself, honored all year.

Santa Muerte Meaning

Devotees turn to Santa Muerte because death takes everyone alike, so she is held to hear everyone alike: the poor, the night worker, the person a church has turned away. People ask her for protection, for love, for justice, for money, and for a peaceful death when the time comes, and devotion is a relationship of promises made and kept. The color of her robe names the petition. White is for gratitude, purity, and cleansing, and is the usual first statue. Red is for love and passion. Black is for protection and for turning harm away. Gold is for money and business, green for justice and legal matters, and the seven-color robe for all of them together. She carries a scythe that cuts what must end, a globe for her reach over the whole world, and often scales for justice, an hourglass for the time each life is given, and an owl for seeing in the dark.

What You'll Find Here

Santa Muerte statue. A 7 inch Santa Muerte in the red robe of love and passion, sized for a home altar.

Santa Muerte candle. A quartz tin candle dedicated to the Holy Death, for a small altar or for travel.

Santa Muerte oils. The Espiritu Santa Muerte oil blend in 2 dram, 1 ounce, and 16 ounce sizes, used to dress candles and anoint the altar.

Santa Muerte incense. Stick incense in a 15 gram pack and the 120 stick Sree Vani box, burned as an offering.

Books and tarot. Santa Muerte: The History, Rituals, and Magic of Our Lady of the Holy Death by Tracey Rollin and Secrets of Santa Muerte by Cressida Stone are the two guides we recommend for learning her devotion from people inside it. The Santa Muerte Tarot by Fabio Listrani is an art deck in her imagery.

How a Santa Muerte Altar Is Kept

A Santa Muerte altar is simple. Her statue stands on a table or shelf of its own, traditionally not shared with other saints, with a glass of fresh water, a candle, and flowers. Devotees bring her offerings the way you would bring a gift to a respected elder: water changed often, bread, fruit, candy, tequila or another drink, tobacco, and incense. What matters most in her devotion is keeping your word. A promise made to her in exchange for help is a promise to be kept, so devotees promise only what they will do. Her prayers and rites belong to a living Mexican devotional tradition, and they are best learned from practitioners within the tradition and from the two books above rather than from a shop page.

Explore Related Collections

Dress her altar with altar cloths and light it with 7-day jar candles in her robe colors; our guide to candle color meanings covers each one. Find other figures in statues, more offerings in incense sticks and ritual oils, and wider protection supplies in protection. For honoring your own dead at this time of year, read our guides to Samhain offerings and the dumb supper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Santa Muerte?
Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Holy Death, is a Mexican folk saint who personifies death. She is shown as a robed skeleton with a scythe and a globe, and devotees ask her for protection, love, justice, money, and a peaceful death.

What does Santa Muerte stand for?
Death as the one power that treats everyone alike. Her devotees see her as a protector who hears anyone who comes to her sincerely, and devotion to her is built on promises made and kept.

What do the colors of Santa Muerte stand for?
White is for gratitude, purity, and cleansing; red for love and passion; black for protection; gold for money and business; green for justice and legal matters. The seven-color robe covers all petitions together.

Is Santa Muerte the same as the Day of the Dead?
No. The Day of the Dead is a holiday for honoring family members who have died, and La Catrina is its elegant skeleton. Santa Muerte is a folk saint of death itself, honored by her devotees all year.

Is Santa Muerte a Catholic saint?
No. She is a folk saint, honored by the people and not recognized by the Catholic Church, which has spoken against her devotion. Many of her devotees are Catholic all the same.

What offerings are given to Santa Muerte?
Fresh water, candles, flowers, bread, fruit, candy, tequila or another drink, tobacco, and incense are the traditional offerings. The most important offering is a kept promise.