Origins
San La Muerte is one of many folk saints venerated in the Guaraní language region that covers parts of Paraguay, north-eastern Argentina and southern Brazil. Others include San Biquicho, San Alejo and Santa Catalina. Other names for San La Muerte include Señor De La Muerte (Lord of Death), Señor De La Buena Muerte (Lord of the Good Death) or - mainly in Paraguay - San Esqueleto (Saint Skeleton). It is believed that San La Muerte was first venerated among the Guaraní Indians following the expulsion of their Jesuit missionaries in 1767, as a mixture of their previous beliefs and the newly imported Catholic faith. Some of the Guarani tribes worshiped the bones of ancestors demanding protection against natural phenomena and adverse spiritual forces, which converged with the Catholic tradition of considering the bones of saints as holy relics. However there is currently no authoritative account of the origins of the San La Muerte cult.
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