santeros

Santeros are adherents of Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion developed among enslaved Yoruba people in Cuba and later shaped by Catholic influences. The term typically refers to practitioners who serve the orisha pantheon and seek guidance, healing, and protection through ritual practice. Central to Santería is the belief in Olodumare as the supreme creator and in a rich set of orishas, such as Yemayá, Oshun, Shango, Ogun, and Eleguá, who act as intermediaries between humans and the divine.

Beliefs in Santería emphasize maintaining harmony with the orishas through offerings, prayers, and observance of proper ethical conduct. Divination plays a key role in determining which orisha is present or which path a follower should take; readings are often performed using cowrie shells, divining plates, or other traditional methods. Initiation and ongoing devotion are important aspects of the religious life for many santeros.

Ritual life includes ceremonies at a casa de santo (house of the saint), regular offerings and prayers to the orishas, feast days, music with batá drums, and the use of altars that combine orishas with Catholic saints and symbolism. Priests and priestesses—often referred to as padrinos and madrinas—lead ceremonies, supervise initiation, and guide adherents in divination, healing, and spiritual counsel.

Santería spread beyond Cuba through the diaspora, with sizeable communities in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Spain, and the United States, particularly Florida and New York. As a syncretic tradition, it remains distinct in doctrine and practice while intersecting with broader Afro-Caribbean religious and cultural landscapes.