Cultural History Commons^™

Dancing With The Gods; Santeria's Historical Context In Eastern Cuba, Lauren Reed

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Santeria is a religion that originated in Cuba in the 1600's and grew out of the tensions between two ethnic groups: Spanish slave masters and West African slaves. Their religions- Catholicism and Ifa, respectively- coalesced to create a syncretism, or amalgamation of multiple concepts. This syncretism, Santeria, is an extraordinarily complex religion through which adherents communicate with God and deities called orishas using prayer, music, dance, divination, and rituals. Though many claim certain truths about Santeria, they are often contradictory and unfounded, making it difficult to accurately understand the religion. However, with effort, these truths can be pieced together to …