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Santa Muerte, commonly known as Saint Death, Holy Death, or the Lady of the Dead, is a Mexican folk deity with a growing following throughout Mexico and Central America. Santa Muerte’s origins can be traced to the ancient Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, who ruled over the underworld with her husband. Mictecacihuatl was commonly portrayed as a female skeletal figure. When the Spanish brought Roman Catholicism to Central and South America, they did their best to stamp out worship of the native Aztec gods. However, many of the native peoples secretly kept their beliefs alive, eventually blending some of their practices with European beliefs.Santa MuerteJaroslav A. Polák [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)] Santa Muertemy [Public domain]