{"id":1640,"date":"2026-06-27T19:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ivanigreppi.com\/?p=1640"},"modified":"2026-06-27T19:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:37:16","slug":"santeria-animal-sacrifice-and-the-constitution-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ivanigreppi.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/27\/santeria-animal-sacrifice-and-the-constitution-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Santeria, Animal Sacrifice, and the Constitution \u2013 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Ivani Greppi<\/a> | Feb 6, 2025 | #Blacklivesmatter<\/a>, Idolatry<\/a>, Occult<\/a>, Paganism<\/a>, Santer\u00eda<\/a>, Voodoo<\/a>, Yoruba<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/midwestoutreach.org\/2025\/02\/06\/santeria-animal-sacrifice-and-the-constitution-part-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Grave Robbers of Palo Mayombe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Part I<\/a> of this article we discussed Santer\u00eda, an Afro-Caribbean religion rooted in the Yoruba people of West Africa. Santer\u00eda, like many African diaspora religions practiced around the world like Haitian Voodoo, Brazilian Candombl\u00e9, Umbanda, and Quimbanda are similar in the worship of the If\u00e1 African deities known as orishas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The orishas are the emissaries of Olodumare or God almighty. They rule over the forces of nature and the endeavors of humanity. They\u2026are [recognized] through their different numbers and colors which are their marks, and each has their\u2026favorite foods and other things they like to receive as offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Palo Mayombe, like Santer\u00eda arrived in Cuba during the slave trade. The difference between the two religions is that Palo Mayombe originated from the Congo, not West African Yorubaland. Palo Mayombe spread from Cuba, throughout the Caribbean, South and Latin America, and the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s called Palo Mayombe, and its dark rituals involving human and animal remains and even grave robbing, [are] practiced in extreme secrecy\u2026The spirits that Paleros [Palo practitioners] are in contact with are both ancestral and of the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PALO MAYOMBE BELIEFS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supreme creator in Palo is a divinity called Nsambi or Sambia. Nsambi created the world and the first man and woman. Paleros believe their creator is not accessible by humans through prayers or rituals. Minor divinities called mpungus are spirits of ancestors and nature. The nature spirits (orishas) represent different elements such as the sea, rivers, and forests. Syncretism is also part of the belief system of Palo. Some of the deities are connected to the orisha spirits worshiped in Santer\u00eda along with Roman Catholic saints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirits of the dead in ancestor worship of Palo is central. The spirit of the dead is called nfumbe or nfumbi. After death, these spirits gain powers that can assist or cause problems such as anxiety to the living. Paleros practice divination, and spiritism by communicating with the dead. The dead have power over the living according to Palo Mayombe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE NGANGA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key aspect of Palo\u2019s belief system is a \u201cspirit vessel\u201d called the nganga, or prenda (treasure), caldero (cauldron), brujo (sorcerer) in Spanish. It may be a pot made of clay or iron, or a cauldron wrapped in chains. Every nganga is unique in its name and is female or male. It is usually kept inside a home or in a backyard structure. The belief of Palo involves service and submission to the nganga believed to be a god. It is regarded as the source of the practitioner\u2019s supernatural powers. Keepers of ngangas vessels are called criados (servants) or perros (dogs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[The nganga]\u2026can both heal and harm, and in the latter capacity is thought capable of causing misfortune, illness, and death. Practitioners believe that the better a nganga<\/em> is cared for, the stronger it is and the better it can protect its keeper, but at the same time the more it is thought capable of dominating its keeper, potentially even killing them. Various stories\u2026tell of [Paleros being] driven to disastrous accidents, madness, or destitution. Tales of a particular nganga\u2019<\/em>s rebelliousness and stubbornness contribute to the prestige of its keeper, as it indicates that their nganga<\/em> is powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nganga is used to capture and force the soul of a recently departed person to do the Mayombero\u2019s [Mayombe practitioner] bidding.\u00a0 Mayomberos will go to a graveyard and dig up the recently interred body of a criminal or insane person whose brain has not yet decomposed fully.\u00a0 The belief is that with a brain, the spirit sent to do a Mayomberos\u2026work has more ability to perform.\u00a0 The spirit is conjured through a\u2026ceremony and kept in a\u2026Nganga.\u00a0 If the Mayombero isn\u2019t skilled enough to control the powerful entity, he might become the inadvertent target of his own creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palo, means stick in Spanish and the contents of the nganga, are believed to contribute to its powers. Besides sticks, soil is added to the nganga from cemeteries or other significant areas such as hospitals. Water may come from wells, rivers, or the sea. Stones, shells, plants, blood, feathers, objects such as coins or knives, alcoholic beverages, food, and many other items are used to give the nganga its specific character. Offerings are added over time eventually spilling out, and at times taking over living spaces. The composing materials emit fetid odors attracting insects and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ngangas will also contain animal and human skeletal remains. As the Palo practitioner grows in experience, human bones usually taken from graveyards are added to the nganga. Paleros may face demands from the nganga entity including blood sacrifices. The practitioner will be faced with the choice of placating the nganga spirit with offerings, trickery, or even beating it into submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRIMINAL CASES IN GRAVE ROBBERIES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A case of a nganga<\/em> recovered from a\u2026canal in\u2026Massachusetts\u2026is presented. This nganga<\/em> contained multiple items indicating its origin, including railroad spikes, coins, other metal objects\u2026and\u2026sticks, and was associated with a knife. It also contained skeletal remains of a bird and a snake as well as a nearly intact human skull of an adult male. The origin of the human remains is likely from a cemetery or as a former anatomical specimen. The find of this nganga<\/em> is atypical in that it is away from the usual urban centers of Palo Mayombe in the US, and forensic practitioners should be aware that such sources of human remains may occur in their jurisdictions\u2026Practitioners of Santer\u00eda\u2026do not utilize human remains in their ritual[s]\u2026so the inclusion of the skull in the present case is a clear indicator [of] Palo Mayombe practice\u2026 Other indicators of specifically Palo Mayombe practice include the cauldron, chain and lock, and\u2026railroad spikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of mercury in these practices\u2026is relatively common and has public health concerns\u2026Mercury\u2026is used to bring luck, love, or money. It also may be used to ward off evil or in specific acts of divination\u2026Practitioners described placing capsules of mercury into various objects\u2026When human remains are discovered [and] suspected to be part of a religious ritual, taphonomic findings and related artifacts may help to confirm their origin (grave looting) as opposed to foul play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many news sources in the US report the theft of human remains from cemeteries and are connected to Palo Mayombe practitioners and their ngangas. Graves of soldiers or heroes are usually targeted in the belief that their bones have stronger spirits attached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n