Emerging iconographies and patrimonized deaths in Latin America: Holy dead, miraculous dead and adopted dead

Abstract

Ethnographically, I explore imaginaries in Latin American societies where death has a role and relevant agency; as well as its connection to some figures and emerging cults that claim to embody death as a self possession and heritage. From the Santa Muerte in Mexico, I will make a comparison to the processes of cultural patrimonialization of the death in other American societies. I describe the manufacture of miraculous dead —folk saints— in ceme-teries, and the processes of «adoption» of Colombia’s violence victims of unknown dead citizens —called dead NNs—. These emerging cults connect with the experience of its prac-titioners to take control of their lives in a precarious state of social vulnerability, homeless state institutions and formal structures. These are considered as «walking dead» that enjoy a very good health.