Culto a San La Muerte en Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina - August 20: Traditional images of San La Muerte in bone, wood or metal did not wear a tunic. The most commercial, and now most popular, plaster casts wear a black tunic. Only in recent years have some other colors of the tunic (such as red or white) begun to take on some kind of meaning. It is very rare to find a life-size SLM image that is made with a human skeleton, or that realistically imitates a human skeleton. The images on the oldest and "traditional" altars of San La Muerte are small, less than 10 cm, made of human bone, bullet lead or hard wood. , in Buenos Aires, Argentina on August 20 August 2024. San La Muerte is a popular saint venerated in the Southern Cone region, with a cult present in Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, especially in the province of Corrientes, the northern coast of Uruguay in the departments of Salto and Artigas, and in the southern Brazil, in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Río Grande do Sul. Since the 1960s, due to internal migrations, this cult has spread to other Argentine provinces such as Jujuy, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, especially in the Conurbano, and the Capital. Unlike other popular saints, who are usually real figures revered for their actions or sufferings in the face of authorities, San La Muerte is not based on any person, but rather represents Death himself. The Catholic Church expressly rejects its cult. San La Muerte is an iconographic figure, and its images, generally carved in wood or bone, are used as amulets. The most common representation is that of a human skeleton with a scythe, although there are also statuettes where the figure appears seated or squatting, without a scythe, with its hands resting on its chin or on the back of its head. Both representations have their origin in European iconography, either of Death, identified with the Grim Reaper of classical tradition, or with the so-called Lord of Patience. According to his devotees, San La Muerte is the protector of socially excluded or oppressed people; For this reason, it has been adopted as a patron by criminals, who perceive themselves as such, and by inmates.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – 20 de Agosto 2024: San La Muerte es un santo popular venerado en la región del Cono Sur, con un culto presente en Paraguay, el noreste de Argentina, especialmente en la provincia de Corrientes, el litoral norte de Uruguay en los departamentos de Salto y Artigas, y en el sur de Brasil, en los estados de Paraná, Santa Catarina y Río Grande del Sur. Desde la década de 1960, debido a las migraciones internas, este culto se ha extendido a otras provincias argentinas como Jujuy, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, especialmente en el Conurbano, y la Capital.
A diferencia de otros santos populares, que suelen ser personajes reales reverenciados por sus actos o sufrimientos frente a las autoridades, San La Muerte no se basa en ninguna persona, sino que representa a la Muerte misma. La Iglesia Católica rechaza expresamente su culto.
San La Muerte es una figura iconográfica, y sus imágenes, generalmente talladas en madera o hueso, se utilizan como amuletos. La representación más común es la de un esqueleto humano con una guadaña, aunque también existen estatuillas donde la figura aparece sentada o acuclillada, sin guadaña, con las manos apoyadas en el mentón o en la nuca. Ambas representaciones tienen origen en iconografías europeas, ya sea de la Muerte, identificada con la Parca de la tradición clásica, o con el llamado Señor de la Paciencia.
Según sus devotos, San La Muerte es el protector de las personas socialmente excluidas u oprimidas; por esta razón, ha sido adoptado como patrono por delincuentes, quienes se perciben a sí mismos como tales, y por reclusos. Fotos: UNAR Photo.
