https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virgin_de_Regla_Cuba_001.jpg
The image I’ve chosen is a picture of la Virgin de Regla taken in La Habana, Cuba. She is the patron saint of Regla, Cuba, and is depicted with dark brown skin wearing a blue dress and holding a baby. La Virgen de Regla is also associated with Yemayá or Yemoja. This image is connected to the city of Havana, as Regla is one of the municipalities located there. It is also related to Callejon de Hamel and shows a more subtle side of practicing santería than what would be seen in Callejon de Hamel.
I chose this image because it represents multiple facets of Afro-Cuban culture all in one figure. When enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas they carried their different cultures, languages, and identities with them. One unifying element, however, was their religious beliefs. In Cuba, this manifests in the practice of santería, a syncretic religion that combines practices of Catholicism and Yoruba beliefs. Orichas, the deities enslaved Africans brought with them, are the central figures in santería and are syncretized with Catholic saints. This association of orichas with saints was a strategic measure of survival for enslaved people in the face of colonization.
What santería represents, in a broad sense, is community and continuity within the African diaspora throughout space and time. Dr. Seneca Vaught describes santería and the various religions throughout the Americas that have roots in traditional African religion as the “cultural glue” that has brought and kept people together. Today, santería is still practiced by many Black people in Cuba. The figure of la Virgen de Regla that I have pictured above is located in the municipality Regla, which is located in Havana. La Virgen has an altar inside Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla which is where practitioners of santería would quietly come to worship. This is a sharp contrast to the open and vibrant celebration one would see at Callejón de Hamel, another hub known for santería.
How does this contrast between the church and Callejón de Hamel correspond to different attitudes about santería throughout Cuban history?
What do you think the prevalence of female deities in santería says about the way women are viewed and treated amongst Afro-Cubans?
