Cuba Loves .... Santeria
Despite the discouragement of religion during the early Marxist-Leninist days of the revolution, religion in Cuba consists of a core of Catholicism with lesser numbers of practicing Protestants, Jews and Muslims. In the 17th and 18th centuries, slaves from western Africa brought their own religions or belief systems which soon became intertwined with Catholic doctrine. With time, mixed religions became their own entities and are perhaps now more widely practiced in Cuba than Catholicism. Santeria is one of the most widespread of these mixed belief systems and is based on worship of ancestral spirits.
As I was walking down a street in a small town, I noticed a large painting on the wall inside a home that, on closer inspection, appeared to be an alter or shrine, most likely for the practice of Santeria or some other Afro-Cuban religion.
Cuba Loves .... Santeria
Despite the discouragement of religion during the early Marxist-Leninist days of the revolution, religion in Cuba consists of a core of Catholicism with lesser numbers of practicing Protestants, Jews and Muslims. In the 17th and 18th centuries, slaves from western Africa brought their own religions or belief systems which soon became intertwined with Catholic doctrine. With time, mixed religions became their own entities and are perhaps now more widely practiced in Cuba than Catholicism. Santeria is one of the most widespread of these mixed belief systems and is based on worship of ancestral spirits.
As I was walking down a street in a small town, I noticed a large painting on the wall inside a home that, on closer inspection, appeared to be an alter or shrine, most likely for the practice of Santeria or some other Afro-Cuban religion.