Religion is one of the most scared aspects a person has in his or her life; for many practitioners
their world, their universe revolves around it. Santeria is a religion in which many people do not
know of and if they do it is often misunderstood to be some sort of cult. To those who practice it
is a unique way of life with rich cultural and spiritual roots. The word Santeria is a syncretistic
religion which combines the fundamentals of roman Catholicism, Animism , Voodoo and
African religions. The word Santeria means “way of the saints”. Today it's practiced worldwide
by people of all races.
“Santeria promotes a connection between the divine, the human, and the natural world by
teaching individuals how to live in harmony”. (Duncan 2010)
Santeria religion originated with the Yoruba and Lukim indigenous people’s from West Africa.
The Yoruba and Lukim people were enslaved, shipped to the New World and forced by Spanish
to worship as Catholics. The enslaved people eventually accept the same Catholic saints because
they were able to identify characteristics in them reminiscent of their own African gods.
However, in Spanish ruled Cuba and Puerto Rico, the evangelical purpose of the Catholic
Church, obligated the conversion of African slaves to Catholicism to “save” them from
worshipping to “false” gods. The saving of enslaved people from damnation was not, however,
the only motive at work; the Spanish saw the continuing practice of African rooted religions as a
risk of cultural identification between people and possibly revolt against the owners of the
slaves. In an effort to control the enslaved Africans , the Spanish banned the practice of African
religi...
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...as “all of life/health and prosperity will move forward, for healing”.
In conclusion, for many the Santeria religion has brought them closer to their connection to the
divine and living their lives in a more productive manner. However, the challenge remains for
western culture and society to accept that a person’s connection to live in harmony and balance
may come from a personal choice to practice nontraditional religion such as Santeria.
Work Cited:
Sandoval, Mercedes Cros. Worldview, the Orichas, and Santería: Africa to Cuba and beyond.
Gainesville: U of Florida, 2006. Print.
Duncan, Cynthia. Unraveling the Real: The Fantastic in Spanish-American Ficciones.
Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2010. Print.
Dalmau, Felipe, Obatalá, Changó y Ochún: Elementos Espirituales de la Santería (New York,
NY: Colección Destino, 1978). Print
plantation owners of the newly settled colonies. As a means to quell the religious unity, the plantation owners forbid the practice of religion and punished slaves who attempted to pursue voodoo. Catholicism was presented as an alternative to the African-based but now independent
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