In Queens, faithful followers throw a birthday party for Santa Muerte

A Mexican religious subculture surrounding the folk deity Santa Muerte is growing in Queens. Her name translates as “St. Death,” and her followers say she watches over the marginalized and undocumented without judgment.

Santa Muerte is the second-most popular folk saint in Mexico. According to some scholars, her followers make up the fastest-growing religious movement among people from Latin America. She’s the patron saint of anyone who lives a little closer to death than the average person, which historically meant cabdrivers, drug dealers and sex workers.