Devotees of Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte (Our Lady of Holy Death) visit the Iglesia Santuario Nacional del Angel de la Santa Muerte in Tepito, Mexico City. Santa Muerte is the patron saint of criminals, prostitutes, drug addicts, and all those overlooked by society. A personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the afterlife by her devotees.

---

Size: 3597px × 2401px
Location: Iglesia Santuario Nacional del Angel de la Santa Muerte, Tepito, Mexico City, Mexico
Photo credit: © Christina Simons / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: afterlife, altar, angel, barrio, belief, calavera, church, counterfeiting, criminal, criminals, cult, de, death, deity, devotee, devotees, dress, effigies, effigy, female, folklore, followers, healing, holy, idol, illegal, influence, la, lady, marginalised, mexican, muerte, nuestra, outcast, patron, pilgrims, prison, protection, rites, ritual, saint, sanctuary, santa, señora, shrine, skeleton, skull, sorcerer, spirituality, violence, wedding, worship