The death cult figures prominently in the surging violence by Mexican drug traffickers known as narcos in interior Mexico and along the U.S.-Mexico border, William Ortega told those at the meeting.įor six of the 12 years they’ve been in Mexico City, the Ortegas have ministered in the Tepito neighborhood, which is notorious for its thriving black market. (Spanish-language video of the meeting is accessible at. The Santa Muerte cult is a growing concern for pastors in border towns such as Laredo, where a meeting hosted by Southern Baptist missionaries in January drew Spanish-speaking pastors, church leaders and at least one concerned police officer whose experiences at a local jail prompted him to attend. “Healing, money, protection, or they want power,” said Orpha Ortega, who along with her husband William serves as a Southern Baptist missionary in Mexico City. Her appeal lies in basic human desires - especially those of the poor and drug runners who entreat her for protection and vengeance. It’s called the cult of Santa Muerte – “Holy Death” – and it’s more intense and deadly than anything that came before it.įrom Mexico City to border towns such as Laredo, and lately in large American cities such as Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago, her cloaked, skeletal icon, usually depicted gripping the Grim Reaper’s scythe, is often seen hanging from the windows, entryways and sometimes on the tattoos of her disciples. They have their own rituals, coded languages, technology, and now, even a secret religion has sprung up around their lives. The drug war has been going on for so long, the inward, secret lives of narcotics traffickers are beginning to take on a life all of their own, separate from the national borders we know as their homes. This is taking the form of satanic cults. Another new way that they are gaining control and loyalty over its members is through religion. Most cartels are formed in poor countries that have corrupt governments and where illegal drugs are their leading exports. Another way in which they obtain loyalty is by offering far greater rewards than they would ever be able to obtain in any other way. One way they do this is through the fear of death not only for its members but their entire family as well. One thing all drug cartels have in common is that they have strong loyalty among its members. This article will, however address additional issues in these topics. A list of links have been provided at bottom of this article for your convenience. I have written several postings related to Various topics including the military, Voting, the economy, religion and etc in America.

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