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LA SANTA MUERTE
ORGANIZED CRIME
When people hear of La Santa Muerte, they often associate it with organized crime. This is believed to be due to the sensationalist media coverage of high profile criminal arrests, like Mochaorejas (ear chopper) and Mataviejitas (old lady killer), and because of how the Catholic Church views the tradition (Bastante and Dickieson 2013, 452). These criminals had La Santa Muerte altars, which were shown on national tv and newspapers. The Church is said to contribute to this negative portrayal because it is taking away their followers.
“Now Mexico is entering the sixth year of an ever bloodier drug war. The country's attorney general recently estimated that 48,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderón declared war on the cartels in 2006. In this grisly maelstrom, growing devotion to Santa Muerte, Mexico's folk saint of death, is understandable” (Call 2012, 102).
Organized Crime: Work
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