EWAN TELFORD.

On the first of the month hundreds, sometimes thousands, of devotees travel from the barrios and marginalised neighbourhoods of Mexico City and beyond to pay their respects to la Santa Muerte, patron saint of the dispossessed. The original shrine to the saint lies in el Barrio Bravo, Tepito, the so-called 'most dangerous neighbourhood' of the city. Santa Muerte is a rapidly expanding religious cult with murky, syncretic origins that lie somewhere between pre-Colombian death deities and Catholic saints such as Saint Jude (San Judas); its contemporary re-emergence probably lies in the prison system. Devotees look to la Niña Blanca Bonita for protection, justice, and survival - things they do not feel the Catholic Church or society at large adequately provides for - or money, or revenge.

“Most precious and divine Santa Muerte, elevate your majesty to protect the weak,” goes the prayer. “Most Holy Death, bless us, may the light emanate from the window of the underworld to heal the sick and frighten the dead.”