Santería
The Religion
Migene González-Wippler
Llewellyn Publications 1989, Twenty-first printing 2021
Hidden, Disquised, and Subverted - It Survives
When the Yoruba of West Africa were brought to Cuba as slaves, they preserved their religious heritage
by disguising their gods as Catholic saints and worshiping them in secret. The resulting religion was Santería,
a blend of magic and Catholicism now practiced by millions of Hispanic Americans.
In an insightful examination of an African religion's survival in the New World, this informative text will
reveal its secrets from the perspective of both insider and scholar. Blending informed study as an anthropologist
and personal experience as a Santerían initiate, author Migene González-Wippler uncovers Santería's
spellbinding elements: the pantheon of gods (orishas), the priests (santeros), the divining shells (diloggún)
used to consult the gods, and the herbal potions prepared as medicinal cures for magic (ewe).
Explore the controversial ceremonies - including animal sacrifices - that are often misunderstood outside the
Santerían community.
Migene González-Wippler is a cultural anthropologist with degrees from the University of Puerto Rico
and Columbia University. She has been an associate English editor for the United Nations in Vienna, and an
editor for Latin New York and Latin U.S. magazines and is the author of over fifteen books, including
Santería: African Magic in Latin America, The Santería Experience, and Peregrinaje,
a best-selling Spanish-language book about the afterlife. Born in Puerto Rico, she now lives in New York and
frequently lectures on various cultures and religions.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)