Raul Canizares was initiated into the Santeria priesthood at age seven and presently heads the Santeria Temple Orisha Consciousness Movement in Manhattan, New York. This eclectic spiritual path has its roots in Nigeria's Yoruba religion. Santeria went through adaptations in Cuba where it was shrouded in secrecy and mixed with Catholic piety. Canizares describes his early experiences of rituals in Cuba where his mother was a priestess.
Cuban Santeria is an Afro-American religion often described as syncretic along with Haitian Vodun and Brazilian Candonble. It has survived in part because of a deliberate use of elements of the dominant culture religious beliefs, particularly in the associations of the orishes (deities) with Catholic saints. The author explores dancing and drumming as forms of worship, the role of the two dozen orishes in everyday life, the focus of devotion to the ancestors, a "making saint" ceremony for new members initiated into the community, the use of herbs and plants for healing, and the importance of animal sacrifices. Sanderia is growing in the U.S. beyond its traditional ethnic boundaries. Raul Canizares has written an insightful overview of this religion.