The Holy Death

Wearing attire very similar to a Grim Reaper, a Mexican saint -- one which the Catholic church refuses to recognize -- is being blamed for the ritualistic murders of two 10 year old boys and a 55 year woman. The victims were human sacrifices, their throats and wrists were slit open while they were still alive and their blood coursed around the altar of the saint, a favorite amongst the drug lords.

The saint, called La Santa Muerte, or The Holy Death, is typically represented as a skeleton wearing white robes and carrying a scythe or globe, or both. But that's not a hard and fast rule as the photo left shows. Unlike Dios de la Muerte, or the Day of the Day, a widespread celebration in Mexico, La Santa Muerte has been an underground cult, of which the Mexican Catholic church has condemned. Particularly because of its affiliation with the criminal class it is seen as more of a pagan worship ritual.

Although it had a clandestine following for many years, it is now coming out in the open and there are several shrines erected throughout Mexico in honor of the saint. There's even one in Mexico City, though in all the places there apparently is no formal mass being performed. Offerings are left at the altar in exchange for favors, and it's said the saint is a very giving saint.

In the three killings which exposed the ritual to the saint, eight family members have been arrested for their participation in the murders, ranging in age from 14 and up into their 50's. The bodies of all three victims, killed between 2009 and 2011, were found at the altar in Nacozari in northern Mexico. While no specific reason was given for killing the boys, the woman that was sacrificed was said to be a witch.