Three Killed and Five Injured Before Altar of 'Saint Death' Folk Cult

What was supposed to be a weekend to honor and pay respects to the dead during the "Dia de los muertos" holiday turned into a gruesome scene after three people were killed and five others were injured in a shootout in central Mexico.

One of the deceased was a local leader of the folk saint cult known as "La Santa Muerte," a sect not linked to the Catholic church that pays respects to a female deity, always represented as a skeletal figure, that is supposed to be the personification of death.

La Santa Muerte is often worshipped by marginalized groups and those who have been close to deadly situations like convicts and criminals. They generally pay their respects to the skeletal figure in exchange for her protection.

According to prosecutors, cult leader"La Madrina Chayo" and two other members died as they prepared the annual Santa Muerte celebration in the city of León, in the north-central state of Guanajuato.

Authorities said "La Madrina Chayo," another woman and a boy were shot dead on Nov. 1. Five other people were injured, including two children wounded near the street corner altar.

The shooting happened during preparations for the annual celebrations in honor of La Santa Muerte, where just like Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday, the skeletal saint is honored on Nov. 1 and 2.

Worshippers gathered at the altar were surprised by armed attackers, while witnesses described the event as a sudden and brutal attack. Prosecutors did not release any immediate information on the condition of those injured nor on the attackers.

The folk cult of La Santa Muerte began in 1795 with indigenous people in Mexico allegedly being the first ones to venerate the skeletal figure. It was not until the 1990s that the movement started to gain more followers.

Despite being condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, La Santa Muerte has become one of the most popular saints in Mexico. Andrew Chesnut, a professor and director of religious studies at Virginia's Commonwealth University, believes the cult counts with an estimated 12 million followers around the world, and has quickly spread to the U.S. and Central America.

Another attack in Guanajuato

For years, Guanajuato has been known as one of Mexico's most dangerous states, with ongoing turf wars between rival drug cartels contributing to the high number of homicides.

According to the Mexican government's data, between January and September, no other state in Mexico saw more murders than Guanajuato, with 2,276 murders reported during that span, almost 500 more than Baja California, who finished in second place with 1,779.

The situation in Guanajuato is so dire that the U.S. State Department has urged Americans to reconsider traveling to the state due to "cartel-related violence."

Guanajuato was significantly violent during Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo's administration. During his time in office, 16,542 homicides were reported between Sept. 2018 and June 2024, an average of eight per day, according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Safety System.

According to Milenio, during Rodríguez Vallejo's administration, homicides went up by 205% compared to the previous administration, when Miguel Márquez Márquez served as Guanajuato's governor between 2012 and 2018.