La Santisima Muerte

Also known as Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec goddess of the underworld and death. She is usually portrayed as a skeletal figure in white, black, or multicolored robes. Her mouth is open to catch the night stars and she carries a scythe in one hand and a skull in the other. According to myth Mictecahituatl was sacrificed as an infant and married the Aztec god of the underworld afterward. She later killed her cheating husband and as such became the patron of women plagued with unfaithful husbands as well as a protectress of workers at night, magick workers, wives, and mothers...especially those with abusive husbands. 

Special days : Dia de Muerte
Colors : white, black, grey, vibrant rainbow colors
Flowers : white but any color will do as long as they are vibrant, handmade paper flowers are welcome. 
Offerings : unsweetened chocolate, cocoa beans, rice, raw beans, honey, Mexican candies,raw sugar cane, tobacco, tequila, fruit


Altars should be bright and colorful. Not all cultures viewed death as a means for mourning. An image of Mictecacihuatl should be somewhere on or above the altar. Altar cloth should be bright, black, white, or grey. Mine has an image hanging over the altar, rainbow fabric on the altar, two white candles, bottles with small white candles, and three small terra cotta pots with beans, rice, and sugar cane in each one. I also keep a bottle with fresh flowers, a bowl of water, and skull candles. My interest in her was triggered after running into a practitioner of Santeria at the flea market who sells vigil candles. I tried to purchase a seven powers La Santisima Muerte candle ( it's a glass candle with 7 equal parts of colored wax.) and instead was given the candle as a gift by the gentleman. This of course prompted much research and even more interest. Now the candle and the altar have a quiet place in my bedroom. For some reason knowing the story behind the scary image makes her a lot less scary and a lot more caring.