A local leader of the Mexican folk saint cult ‘La Santa Muerte’ was shot late Friday at an altar to the skeletal figure, authorities said.
Two other people were killed and eight injured in the attack in the city of Leon Guanajuato Stateauthorities added.
The saint – whose name roughly means ‘Holy Death’ – is often worshiped by convicts, drug addicts and criminals, along with other people who feel left out or experiencing difficulties in life.
The saint, who is not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, is usually depicted as a female skeleton and must protect her followers from death.
But that didn’t work for “La Madrina Chayo,” a woman believed to be the leader of the sect in the north-central state of Guanajuato.
Prosecutors have not given her real name, in accordance with Mexican law, but the nickname “La Madrina Chayo” was used by a faith healer also known as “Chayito.”
She, another woman and a boy were shot dead on Friday as they prepared the annual celebration of Santa Muerte.
There was no immediate information on the conditions of the eight people, including two children, who were injured in the shooting at the street corner altar.
Like the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Santa Muerte is honored on November 1 and 2.
Roman Catholic leaders in Mexico have condemned the deity’s connection to violence and the illegal drug trade.
Fernando Llano / AP
Dressed in a black nun’s robe and holding a scythe in one hand, Santa Muerte appeals to those seeking all kinds of otherworldly help: from warding off wrongdoing and taking revenge to preventing loved ones from cheating and obtaining of better jobs. Others seek her protection for their drug shipments and to ward off law enforcement.
Although the cult may sound ominous, the annual celebrations in honor of Santa Muerte are friendly affairs, with people greeting fellow worshipers warmly and offering them small gifts.
Deadly pattern of violence in Guanajuato
For years, Guanajuato has had the highest homicide rate of any state in Mexico, due to ongoing battles between rival drug cartels.
Last month, 12 bodies – all with signs of torture and left with messages from cartels – were found in Guanajuato. Officials said the victims – three women and nine men – were found on roads, bridges and avenues, their bodies showing gunshot wounds and signs of torture, while one had been dismembered.
The bodies were found less than 24 hours later Gunmen attacked a residential center for people with addictions in the same municipality: four deaths.
There are two cartels in Guanajuato, the Santa Rosa de Lima and the powerful Jalisco New Generationare currently at war.
Police, politicians and citizens are all targeted in Guanajuato. In June, an infant and a toddler were among six members of the same family murdered in Guanajuato. In April there was a mayoral candidate shot dead in the street in Guanajuato just as she began campaigning.
Last December, 11 people were killed and another ten were injured in an attack on a pre-Christmas party in the state. A few days before, the bodies of five university students were found in a vehicle on a dirt road in Guanajuato.
The US State Department is urging Americans to reconsider their trip to Guanajuato. “Of particular concern is the high number of homicides in the southern region of the state linked to cartel-related violence,” the department said in a travel advisory.
