SanteríaThe Yoruba people, brought from Nigeria as slaves, arrived in the Caribbean in the 1500s with their own religion, considered inappropriate by white slave owners. Most Caribbean plantation owners were members of the Roman Catholic Church, so they forced their slaves to ignore their original religion and become Catholic. Soon the slaves realized that they could still practice their West African religion as long as it was disguised as Catholicism, and Santería was born. It is now practiced in the United States, Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Canada, Venezuela and Panama. According to Santería, people are born under a guardian. Orisha, or saint, who is to be revered throughout life. Each Orisha is an aspect of a supreme god. The seven principal Orishas are known as the Seven African Powers. Eleggua is the guardian between life and the afterlife in heaven and is the link between the Orishas, ​​humans and God. He is very powerful because without him there would be no communication between humanity and the saints. The Catholic saint associated with Eleggua is Saint Anthony, and the colors associated with him are red and black. Obatala is recognized as the parent of the Orishas and all humanity, the creator of the world and the executor of justice. It is linked to the qualities of intelligence, harmony, compassion and purity, its color is therefore white. In Catholicism, it represents the holy Our Lady of Mercy. According to legend, Obatala consumed so much palm wine while shaping the bodies of unborn babies that many of them were born deformed. His spiritual guide, Olofi, told him that he was not allowed to drink palm wine while he was doing his most important work. From now on, any child born with a defect is considered a child of Obatala, so it is forbidden to taunt him. Yemaya is the spirit of motherhood, the mother of all wealth, rules over witches and is comparable in Catholicism to the Virgin Regla. Her real name is Yey Omo Eja, or Mother of the Fish, which comes from the idea that life begins in the sea and that developing babies are like fish. Similar to oceans and rivers, it possesses mysterious depths, but at the same time it demonstrates nurturing maternal qualities. Her colors are blue and white, and she is sometimes referred to as the Spirit of Mercy due to her loyalty to her children...