Think gangsters are godless? Think again! Whether it's to ease a troubled conscience, secure a place in heaven, or protect them from rivals and the police, patron saints and deities often appear in crimes. Some are borrowed from mainstream religions, history, or folklore, while others are entirely new. They also range from good to evil, or at least darkly immoral. Here are ten of the world's best—from least to most frightening.
10. Nino de Atocha
Holy Child of Atocha, Spanish holy child, traditionally depicted with a basket of bread to feed the convicts. How patron saint of prisoners , It is popular among drug traffickers such as Pablo Escobar, the leader of the Medellín Cartel, who had altars in his safe houses and visited the shrine while in Spain. El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán, also pays homage; he was wearing the saint's amulet when he was arrested in 2019.
The Holy Child especially popular among hauchicoleros (gasoline thieves) in Mexico. Therefore, he is often depicted holding a gas canister rather than a basket. In this guise, he goes by the name Santo Nino Huachicolero.
According to the Catholic Church, gangsters use the images of saints (or, in fact, pseudo-saints) to gain public support. But in this case, they're probably bested by half-price gas.
9. Saint Jude
As one of the Twelve Apostles, Saint Jude is the only "drug saint" recognized by the Catholic Church. He is also known as San Judas Thaddeus (Saint Jude Thaddeus). Traditionally, he is the last choice to pray for help, in case prayers to Jude fail. will reach Judas Iscariot , the apostle who betrayed Jesus Christ.
Being the last refuge on the path, he is the patron of the hopeless hopeless cases — the first choice for criminals, prisoners, "youth on the fringe," and fugitive drug lords like Benjamin Arellano Felix. In fact, Saint Jude is so popular in the criminal underworld that police keep an eye on his center of worship, the San Hipólito Church in downtown Mexico City. Once a month, thousands of worshipers, including some of the most notorious gangsters, descend on the church and the surrounding boulevards, giving undercover officers the opportunity to update their mugshots.
The saint, who wears a green robe with a flame on his head, is credited with all sorts of "miracles," including saving fugitives, thieves, and drug dealers from prison. However, according to a priest in San Hipolito, criminals misunderstand. "Saints won't help you do bad things or engage in illegal activity," he told Vice in 2016 . On the contrary, St. Jude is also popular with the police.
8. Amaterasu
Sun Goddess Amaterasu — the main deity of Japanese mythology — the daughter of the creators Izanami and Izanagi . Managing Takama no Hara (High Heavenly Plain), Amaterasu (whose name means "shining in the heavens") is the head of the kami , or spirits, and is worshiped throughout Japan. She is also revered by the yakuza, who honor her with rituals of worship and the initiation of new members. In one famous legend, Amaterasu retreats from the world into a cave, bringing calamity to heaven and earth.
Various specializations The yakuza may worship other patron deities. For example, one of the two main branches, tekiya (merchants who originally traded in medicines) reveres Shinno , the god of medicine, and the other main branch, Bakuto (players), honors Hachiman , the god of war. However, all yakuza revere Amaterasu and the Emperor of Japan.
An important ritual she participates in is Sakazuki , or "Exchange of Cups." The ceremony is held in strict secrecy at a time and place not disclosed to the participants until moments before. The ceremony centers on an altar beneath three scrolls, each representing a god: Amaterasu on the right, the Emperor on the left, and Shinno in the middle.
7. Jesus Malverde
In Mexico, Jesús Malverde is a mythical hero of the poor and oppressed. In essence, it is Mexican Robin Hood with a thick black moustache and a neckerchief. Mal verde Translated from Spanish, it means "bad green," a nickname the folkloric bandit earned by hiding in bushes in green camouflage and jumping out to rob passersby. His victims were typically wealthy, and the loot was divided among the poor. This is where other names like Malverde, the Generous Bandit, and the Angel of the Poor come from.
He is also considered a real person, at least by those who respect him. According to legend, Malverde's real name was Jesús Juárez Mazo. He is said to have lived between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was (supposedly) hanged by the government on May 3, 1909.
Today, he belongs to the tradition of "narco-saints" prayed to by drug traffickers like El Chapo, who see Malverde as an image of themselves—especially in his home state of Sinaloa. There roadside temple The saint has become a popular place of worship. However, his image appears throughout Mexico on figurines, candles, keychains, T-shirts, and so on.
6. Guan Yu
The legendary general Guan Yu was a real historical figure , the loyal duke of the warlord Liu Bei. He is also a character in classical Chinese literature.« Romance of the Three Kingdoms» . Also known as Guan Gong and Emperor Guan, he has become an important deity in Hong Kong, with shrines throughout the city. He even features in Hong Kong popular culture, including film series «Young and Dangerous» .
Statues of Guan Yu usually depict him with a halberd in his right hand. But if you see a man with a halberd in his left hand, he may belong to the triad—at least, according to rumors .
While Guan Yu is worshipped by a wide range of people, from businessmen and police officers to ordinary individuals, the triads revere him as the embodiment of their the most cherished values : humanity; honesty; obedience; wisdom; loyalty; and faith. It is also a reminder of their strict moral code.
5. Saint Michael
Mafiosi are known for their displays of religious devotion, altars to which can often be found in their hideouts. However, the Catholic Church, the target of this devotion, has remained largely silent on the matter. Only recently have popes openly condemned the mafiosi. Pope John Paul II was the first, to which they responded by bombing several churches. Then, in 2014, Pope Francis formally excommunicated mafia associates for engaging in «"worship of evil.". But that didn't stop them.
For example, the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mafia has two patron saints: the sword-wielding archangel Saint Michael and the maternal Madonna di Polsi (Our Lady of Polsi), dedicated to a local apparition of the Virgin Mary. ) . 'Ndrangheta leaders from all over Italy and the world gathered at the famous Sanctuary of the Madonna in Calabria.
Although there are different ranks incomplex hierarchical structure 'Ndrangheta Associated with various saints, members swear allegiance to Saint Michael and the Madonna. The initiation ritual, or «"baptism"» , involves cutting the finger and dripping blood on a prayer card of St. Michael or the Madonna, which is then burned, and the ashes are applied to the cut. So in 2007, when a violent blood feud culminated in the murder of six young people outside a restaurant, Investigators discovered prayer cards and a statue of St. Michael, as well as images of the "Mother of God" in the backyard.
4. Maximon
When you see some images of Maximón, also known as San Simón, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Jesus Malverde; he often has the same mustache. «cowboy-gangster aesthetic» . But this wish-fulfilling saint is a Mayan god, whose belief goes back to pre-conquest period Guatemalan. He's also a bit of a trickster; in one legend, fishermen asked him to remain faithful to their wives, and Maximon slept with each of them.
Although Maximon's followers are mostly Catholic (hence his association with Saint Simon), the Church tends to regard him as the devil and worship him as witchcraft. It is easy to see why. one prayer for protection he is conjured "in the name of Satan, Luzbel and Lucifer.".
Its priests are inveterate drunks, often practicing in private homes surrounded by bottles of Quetzalteca rum. But there is also the San Simón shrine in San Andrés Itzapa, a town in the Guatemalan highlands. This is Maximón's mecca, a blue and white temple draped in incense. Pilgrims come from all over Central America to pour rum over Maximón's effigy and the tobacco on his lap before praying for some material benefit—perhaps a new home or protection from imprisonment. Alternatively, they might ask the witches outside to cast a curse on their enemies.
3. Bawon Samdi
In Haitian Vodou, Bawon Samedi (aka Baron Samedi) is in charge of the largest Liva family ( spirits), gede , which personify death and fertility. Therefore, he possesses unparalleled knowledge of the land of the dead. Whenever he travels to the land of the living, he wears dark glasses, which allow him to observe this realm. He is also depicted wearing a purple-and-black top hat and tails, and carrying a long black cane with a skull-shaped handle.
Bavôn is a trickster god who mocks the living with his careless and offensive behavior. He smokes heavily, swears, is "depraved and dissolute," enjoys eating black goats and roosters, and drinks intoxicants such as black coffee, vodka, and gin. He also drinks clairene , a type of rum he makes himself from 21 hot peppers, and which he does not will cope no other liva . Services traditionally take place from October 31st to November 2nd. This is the Haitian Festival of the Dead or Fet-Gede , during which death and sexuality are celebrated with song, drumming, dancing, prayer and possessions lion . Bawon Samdi and his wife, Grandma Bridget, are the guests of honor.
It's easy to see why Bawon appeals to criminals. In 2021, Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, actually dressed up as him, summoning the spirit to threaten politicians and police in a publicly recorded video. The Haitian dictator François Duvalier also directed Bawon Samdi. Like many gods, he appears in various guises, one of which is even more criminal in nature: Baron Criminel, «"The Saint of All Criminals"» , is called upon to intervene in secular criminal justice. It is said that when he appears, he forces people to question what is truly right and wrong—outlaw—and who is truly innocent.
2. Corofo
The Nigerian Black Axe gang, known for its email scams, is more brutal than many realize. In addition to sharing scam templates (or "formats") on secret message boards, members (known as Axemen) share photos of their mutilated victims. They call these unfortunates mugu or Maya , which means "idiots.".
At home, Black Axe is considered a cult. Not only does it selectively recruit young men with little legitimate prospects, it also has initiation ritual in the occult style, Including brutal beatings, symbolic rebirth, and a pledge of allegiance to the gang. This is where Corofo comes in, summoned with words like "may Corofo squeeze the life out of you if you ever betray the movement"—the "movement" being the Neo-Black Movement (NBM), from which Black Axe emerged.
Korofo, often shortened to "Krf" or "Kf" online, is a rather indescribable god. It's unclear what he looks like or even what he does, other than kill life—perhaps because he's only a few decades old. He, or rather, his , appears to have been mistakenly deified in the 1980s. According to the NBM's own research, Korofo was not originally a god at all, but aja ile ("underground cult"). A traditional Yoruba spell that mentions his name states: "Korofo is the one who consulted the oracle of Olodumare [God] and declared that his death would never happen." Black Axe simply changed the name Olodumare to his own, henceforth honoring Korofo as a protector.
1. Santa Muerte
Unlike other "narco-saints," Santa Muerte is not considered a real person. In fact, she is the embodiment of death. Also known as Saint Death, she is depicted as a skeleton in a white dress, holding a scythe and a globe—"a cross between the Grim Reaper and the Virgin of Guadalupe." Not all of her followers are criminals, but criminals tend to be devoted, appeasing her with tequila, cigarettes, money, jewelry, and corpses. Although she is often worshiped alongside Malverde, only she is offered human lives. It is common among Mexican gangsters to leave severed heads at her shrines. They also pray to her before undertaking a dangerous job.
And the cult of Santa Muerte is spreading. US authorities have documented a number of Santa Muerte murders, as well as bumper stickers, tattoos, altars, and money ribbons adorned with the saint's image. In Las Vegas, there's an entire shrine with life-size effigies.
Since 2000, when her popularity skyrocketed, Santa Muerte has gained more 12 million subscribers . This makes the cult one of the fastest-growing new religions in the world. And although the Catholic Church has officially condemned its worship, calling it "blasphemous and satanic," they are reluctant to engage in it further—probably out of fear that many prefer it to the Pope and would rather leave the Church than Santa Claus. Muerte .