For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

Based on an anonymous tip, Texas officials found a house, located just outside Fort Worth, Texas, used by Mendoza-Nandho, a Mexican-based gang, to smuggle illegal immigrants into the US.

They also found five illegal immigrants inside the house and a tunnel, that was probably used to hide drugs.

However, that was not all they found. It appears that the house also had an altar dedicated to the cartel’s patron saint, Santa Muerte.

“As The Daily Mail reported, another discovery inside the house included what appeared to be an altar to the cartel patron saint, Santa Muerte, with tequila and cigarettes laid in front of her as offerings,” writes Samantha Kamman in her article for the Christian Post. “The saint is the personification of death, and law enforcement agencies say it is a commonly used symbol in organized crime.”

The Santa Muerte Cult

Santa Muerte, literally our Lady of Holy Death, is a relatively new religious movement in Latin America. First reported in the 1940s, it involves the worship of a female deity depicted by a skeleton figure, which personifies death. It combines elements of Catholicism, the occult, and pagan rites.

It has become the patron saint of members of drug cartels who pray to this occultic deity for protection and, if they die, a quick death and safe passage to the afterlife.

In the early 2000s, the worship of this hideous deity went from private home ceremonies to more public displays. It is estimated to have 12 million followers in Mexico and is growing in both the US, Canada, and Europe.

In his book, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, Professor R. Andrew Chestnut, who teaches religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, stated that believes it is the world’s fastest-growing religious movement.