30 Best Santa Muerte Tattoo Ideas
Reeva Babbar
Table of Contents
About Santa Muerte Tattoos
The tattoo world is always flourishing with new ideas, designs, and symbols. Recently, an increasing number of people are getting images that relate to some form of a group identity inked on their bodies. The best Santa Muerte tattoos are very unique and becoming more popular these days.
These tattoos appeal to those known to have formed one of these group identities since it’s a tattoo that’s most closely related to the cult of Santa Muerte (the saint of death).
The Santa Muerte tattoo is attracting the attention of several tattoo wearers in today’s age, and it has become one of the most intricate and intriguing designs in the tattoo art world.
Most people, however, don’t really understand the meaning behind these complex images and designs.
They look interesting and captivate others due to the various ways in which Santa Muerte tattoos are personalized. The tattoos can be customized according to each individual wearer’s purpose for getting the tattoo, and the meaning they want to convey.
Not many people have had the opportunity to learn about these tattoos prior to deciding if they want to get inked (temporarily or permanently). If you’d like to know more about them you’re in the right place.
We’ve compiled the following guide to help you understand and learn all there is to know about the best Santa Muerte tattoos.
After reading this article, you’ll know more about:
- Santa Muerte tattoo ideas
- Santa Muerte tattoo meanings
- Santa Muerte tattoo designs
What Do Santa Muerte Tattoos Mean and Symbolize?
As mentioned above, Santa Muerte is known as the saint of death in Mexican folklore. She’s also called ‘Our Lady of the Holy Death.’ Her followers have continued to increase in numbers in both Latin America and the United States.
The people who choose to get a Santa Muerte tattoo get different designs, but in all of these designs, the Santa Muerte image is of a female skull and skeletal body covered with a long, flowy robe.
In some images, Santa Muerte is holding a globe and/or scales of justice with a scythe behind her to showcase the powerful imagery of death, and its domination over the world.
People get a Santa Muerte tattoo for various reasons:
- To showcase their loyalty and faith to the cult of Santa Muerte
- To ask for protection from Santa Muerte
- To display their worship and devotion for Santa Muerte
- To feel a sense of strength to survive difficult situations
The reasons for getting a Santa Muerte tattoo are many. Yet, they’re all directly related to the meanings behind this powerful symbol of death. People look to this symbol as a way to conquer one of life’s greatest fears—death.
It’s also a way for people to pay their respect to the reality of death in this world, and continue on with life knowing that they have the saint of death on their side, protecting them against all odds.
In other words, wearers of the Santa Muerte tattoo believe that if they have death on their side, no one can harm them in their life. And this is a very powerful Santa Muerte tattoo meaning.
Where to get a Santa Muerte Tattoo
What are some common spots to get the Santa Muerte tattoo?
- Arms: The Santa Muerte tattoo design looks great on both the upper and lower arm. The design used for either location will vary depending on the wearer’s choice, and the artist’s inspiration and/or suggestions.
Most often, the upper arm Santa Muerte tattoos display the face of this saint of death at an angle. That way the tattoo will be completely visible from all angles, no matter what the wearer’s position or stance is.
- Back: The upper back is another popular place for getting this tattoo with the symbol of death inked across the entire back. In this location, the tattoo can be comforting to the wearer, knowing that death is on their side and protecting them.
- Chest: Some people prefer to get an image of Santa Muerte on their chest. They might get the tattoo on either the left-breast pocket area (to show their loyal devotion to the saint of death), or across their chest to show their fearless nature in the world having Santa Muerte on their side.
- Legs: Some tattoo wearers may prefer to get the Santa Muerte tattoo design on their leg. Though this is quite uncommon, the reason for choosing this spot could be that the wearer wants the tattoo hidden.
Maybe they don’t want to let the people around them know who they believe in, and the cult that they belong to. So keeping their beliefs private is important to them.
As with any tattoo, each individual can choose whether they want to get a temporary or a permanent tattoo.
There are several Santa Muerte tattoo ideas that people may wish to try temporarily before getting one permanently inked on their body.
Companies that provide this opportunity—such as Inkbox or some retailers on Amazon—allow you to build your design online. Then they will print your design out, and send you stick-on tattoos that can last up to two weeks.
This is a really great way to try out a tattoo design. Once the tattoo wearer is satisfied with a particular Santa Muerte tattoo image, they can show it to their favorite tattoo artist so they can recreate this design, and create a permanent tattoo based on this image.
The permanent tattoos can last anywhere from 15 to 40 years, depending on factors such as how well you take care of your tattoo, the part of the body it’s on, and the boldness of the lines in the original tattoo design.
It’s important to be sure of the design you want and confident in the tattoo artist’s ability to recreate that design. Both tattoo removal and tattoo corrections can be painful, and may not be able to satisfy you 100%.
Also, it’s essential to research and prepare before getting your tattoo. Researching tattoo ideas, designs, and meanings is essential before even trying to look for popular and affordable options.
How much do Santa Muerte Tattoos Cost?
Depending on the complexity of the design, the number of hours the tattoo artist has to put in, and the size of the tattoo image, the cost will vary. The price of a Santa Muerte tattoo can be anywhere from $400 to about $1000.
The reason for this high cost is that these tattoos are quite detailed. They can also take from a half-day session to a full-day session to complete (based on your desired design and tattoo size).
Also, there are other factors that affect the cost of the tattoo:
- Individual pricing of each artist
- Popularity of the tattoo parlor
- Equipment used
- Colors in the tattoo image
- Overall time spent with the client (i.e. consultation, design creation, and post-care)
As a result, it’s essential to know a few things before you book your tattoo appointment. To prevent any surprises, you should know what you’re willing to spend on the tattoo, the overall services at the parlor, and the costs involved.
30 Best Santa Muerte Tattoo Designs
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History of the Santa Muerte Tattoo
The roots of this tattoo design are based on the religious practices of the Santa Muerte cult. This cult worships the saint of death in order to feel protected from enemies and destructive forces.
Historically, the Santa Muerte tattoo was often closely related to the people involved in illegal activities: drug dealers, bandits, and others in trouble with the law. They wore these tattoos with the faith that they would be saved from enemies and the police.
Nowadays, Santa Muerte tattoos are worn by many individuals who believe in and pray to Santa Muerte. A way for them to express their devotion to the saint of death is by using their body as a place of worship.
Despite the negative views of other people regarding Santa Muerte and this religious cult, these individuals ink their bodies with the image of death. Some of them have gone to the extent of hiding the tattoo under their clothes—especially if they want to avoid any kind of interrogation.
Which Celebrities Have a Santa Muerte Tattoo?
Though there have been rumors in the media about Santa Muerte’s popularity with pop culture and celebrities, there aren’t any pictures or proof of famous celebrities wearing a Santa Muerte tattoo.
Music videos and offhand media references often mention pop culture’s devotion to symbols of death, but there isn’t any evidence of a popular celebrity inking their body with an image or design of the saint of death.
Final Thoughts
Santa Muerte tattoos are quite popular in today’s day and age. Their popularity may or may not be related to the increasing number of devotees for the La Santa Muerte cult since some individuals choose to get an image of the saint of death for the sole reason of its popularity.
Devotees ink their bodies with this image of death to worship and ask for protection from Santa Muerte for themselves and their families.
Santa Muerte has been known to be the savior of the ones who were considered outcasts of the law in the past and is gaining more acceptance by those who belong to other outcasted pockets of society.
People who have been discriminated against by society, religion, or the world in general—due to some distinct difference or variation from what’s considered ‘normal’—often feel most connected to this saint of death.
They may also feel that she brings about equality in the world since death doesn’t discriminate between people. So, tattoo wearers all around look for different ideas, designs, and meanings for wearing a Santa Muerte tattoo. And each individual will have a unique reason for getting this tattoo inked on their body.
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