The Inlay of San La Muerte as Configurations of the Passionate State of Faith

Abstract

In this presentation we explore the relationships between human bone and the magical-religious ritual use in Northeastern Argentina and southern Paraguay; we approach this problem from the conceptualization of the santera practice as producer of popular sacred art, attending to (a) the use of bone in the carving of the imagery of San La Muerte and (b) its valuation as powerful talisman beyond having been, or not, sculpted in the form of the Saint. We intend to contribute to the description and understanding of part of the religious imagination of Northeastern Argentina and Southern Paraguay, and its derivations and relations with the production of sacred material culture. For the treatment of this problem, fieldwork has been carried out among the population of Catholic faith, prioritizing the ethnographic method were implemented in-depth interviews with devotees and santeros, observations with varying degrees of participation, records in journals and field notes, as well as documentary analysis and varied images.