Santeria in the News

South Florida is a stronghold of Santeria, but The Miami Herald reports that as the religion moves beyond its ethnic enclaves, residents are screaming, "Not in my backyard!"

As Hispanics move up the economic ladder and into affluent neighborhoods like Coral Gables, they're supposed to put Santeria, that primitive and ignorant religion of the immgrants and blacks, away.

Coral Gables resident, Noriel Batista, says his life has been ruined since police burst into his home, disrupting an important Santeria ritual and drawing the attention of television cameras. His neighbors, lilke Ricardo Celiz, who lives four houses away, say they respect Batista's right to practice his faith, but wish he would not be so public about it.

I just think they should do those things away from neighborhoods, where there are no kids and nobody can see those things.

I'm not really sure what "those things" are. Presumably he's talking about animal sacrifices, but I find it hard to believe that Batista is putting on a show on his front lawn. Sacrifices can usually only be witnessed by initiates and every event I've ever been to has been held inside the house or in the privacy of the backyard. Ernesto Pichardo, the head of the Church of Lukumí Babalú Ayé, gets to the heart of the matter: class. He says residents behave as if Santeros don't have a right to be in places like Coral Gables.

But it's OK if it's in Little Havana, or it's all right if we do it in Hialeah. As long as it is marginalized, and only appears in the lower strata of society, then it's OK.