Altars Covering the Songé of Yemayá, Ochon and Ogún

The throbbing colors with which Luis Medina memorialized these altars and rituals in Chicago convey the intensity of spirit that animates Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion long practiced in Cuba and among the Cuban diaspora. Santería refuses formality and liturgy in favor of worship in homes and communal settings. It is highly structured, involving codes and secrecy that guard access to initiates and the powers of divination. Santería nevertheless has flexibility and openness at its core. A majority of Cubans, no matter their heritage, now practice Santería to some extent, as do many of the nearly twenty thousand Cubans living in Chicago.