Conference hydra::dejavu

    
    I think this is the same story as the one in brownsville Tx.
    
    However I do find it interesting that an forign paper has more 
    details than anything I have seen in the USA??? I havn't heard anything
    YET about eating the bodies and my mind is racing trying to 
    put together what the truth is??? 
           
    From what I have seen so far it looks to me like this is a separate
    cult all together. I dont recall any canibalistic things in what
    I know about Santeria... and can only come up with a weird black-mass
    type thing if they were "Satanists". But the boiling doesn't fit
    and eating lungs??? The other stuff I can see some magical connection
    with.... heart, liver, brains, ect.... but lungs??? 
    
    hmmmmm..... 

    I think this is the same incident discussed in some length in 1031.
    Brownsville & Matamoros are directly across the border from each
    other...
    
    thanks
    dwp

    I DONT READ ALL THE NOTES. MAYBE I SHOULD.
    
    I DONT THINK THIS HAS GOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH SATANIC WORSHIP OR
    ANYTHING LIKE THAT,I BELIEVE THAT ITS A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
    GOT AWAY WITH FEEDING OFF SIMPLER FOLKS BELIEFS AND GOT COMPLACENT
    WITH THE LAW AND WERE GETTING CARRIED AWAY WITH THE WONDERS OF 
    POWER,AND USED SATANIC RITUALS AS A TOOL.
    
    I MADE A MISTAKE IN NOTE 0. IT IS 12 PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN UNCOVERED
    SO FAR.
    
    I WISH THE PRESS WOULD STOP MAKING ANOMALIES AND STICK TO THE FACTS.
    
    PHIL
    

    This was almost certainly the same report as the Brownsville, TX one. 
    NPR reported yesterday that early reports of cannibalism were
    incorrect, and that there is no evidence that the people were eaten. 
    Some remains were found in a cauldron, however.
    
    Four of the murderers were captured and have confessed.  They acted on
    instructions from their leader.  If I remember correctly, the leader is
    from Cuba.  They are part of a drug smuggling ring.  They claimed that 
    the ritual killings were sacrifices to Satan, in return for protection. 
    They are believed to be members of an offshoot of Santeria (some form
    of Vodooism), but this is not certain.  Also found were sacrificed
    chickens, feathurs, and other ritual items.
    Some of the victims were tortured before they were killed and
     dismembered.  As of yesterday morning, 12 bodies had been found and
    the police were looking for 2 more.  All the victims were men.

    I had also heard about this and for some reason thought that it
    was another grave with other people but that the authorities were 
    attributing the killings to the same group of people responsible
    for the Brownsville slayings.

    
    
    	It sounds a little confusing cuz there were two
    	similar cases.
    
    	The one in Mexico (I'm going from memory here) was a 
    	drug smuggling ring and they dismembered and sacrificed
    	people to Satan for protection from the law.  Their leader
    	was indeed from Cuba and one of their victims was Mark
    	Kilroy.  I remember seeing his case on Unsolved Mysteries
    	and then the leader was featured on America's Most Wanted.
    	They killed 13 or 14 people. At the time of the news
    	broadcast they had uncovered 12 and then when they found
    	the others they made the four suspects dig them up.
    	The leader was eventually tracked down and when surrounded
    	by the police he ordered one of his followers to shoot him
    	rather then being arrested or shot by an officer.  So the
    	leader is dead.
    
    	The other one I heard about which I think was in Texas
    	or it may also have been in Mexico was a drug dealer
    	was looking for some marijuana that had been stolen
    	from him and when he found it, he killed the people
    	who stole it execution style.  I *believe* he was caught.
    
    	I believe this is how it went.
    
    

    In case anyone wanted to know more about this, I believe the religion
    these people were practicing is an offshoot of voodoo/santeria, called
    Palomayumbe.  It is very dangerous and extremely evil, and needless to
    say there is not a lot written on it.  From what I read, the cauldron
    with the body parts becomes the "guide" for the believers, telling them
    what to do to attain their desires, and in return the believers must
    feed the cauldron, even to the degree of human sacrifice.  I believe
    there are specific reasons around using the organs they did, i.e. the
    lungs would be the breath of the "guide", etc. etc. 

    I haven't heard of Palomayumbe before.  Do you have a source I could
    find out more from?  Do you know which (if any) of the following are
    true:

	1) Palomaymbe is an offshoot of Voodoun.
	2) Palomaymbe is an offshoot of Santeria.
	3) Palomaymbe is an offshoot of a fusion of Voudoun and Santeria.
	4) Palomaymbe is (like Vouidoun and Santeria) a New World fusion of
	   Catholocism and african religious beliefs.
	5) Palomaymbe is an offshoot of such a fusion other than Voodoun
	   or Santeria.

    ?

    Thanks for the info.

				    Topher

    Topher,
    
    I believe Palomayumbe is #4. It is a religion based on the fusion of 
    Catholicism and African religion(s), like Voudoun and Santeria (which 
    is also known as Lucumi).
    
    I know a person involved in Santeria, and he is careful to dissasociate
    himself from Palomayumbe. He calls it Brujeria (witchcraft - which has 
    negative connotation).
    
    
    Marilyn 

    Hi Topher,
    
    Sorry it's taken so long, I've been searching through my books and 
    finally found the one last night...unfortunately I forgot it today but
    I promise to bring it in next week.  There's not much info, but the
    little there is will be easy to type in here, so rather than misquoting
    I'll wait til Monday...
    
    
    Ana

    Ok, here is the paragraph from THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SPELLS, CEREMONIES,
    AND MAGIC by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler.   The paragraph is taken from
    the section on The rites of Haiti and Latin America.
    
    "The darker side of Santeria is palo monte or palo mayombe, the black
    magic practices of the Bantu tribe.  The chief implement of the
    mayombero or palero (priest of the cult) is a grisly cauldron within
    which has been placed the head, fingers, toes and tibia of a human
    corpse.  Together with these remains the palero keeps within the
    cauldron black pepper, centipedes, ants, spiders, and all manner of
    poisonous insects and noxious powders.  This cauldron and its revolting
    contents is called a nganga or prenda (treasure).  The nganga, also
    called a caldero (cauldron), is said to speak to its owner and help him
    in all he needs.  The palero can use the nganga for good or bad
    purposes.  He can cure and he can kill with it.  The caldero, far from
    being a mechanical aid of its owner, is a real live entity that thinks
    (it has the brain of the dead body), moves (it has toes and at least on
    leg), and is entiryly independent and is entirely capable of
    reasoning and wilful action.  Some of the practices and beliefs of the
    santero and his darker partner the palero or mayombero, are presented
    in this authors's book in the subject, SANTERIA: AFRICAN MAGIC IN
    LATIN AMERICA."
    
    Well, that's all she wrote, and that's all I've been able to find on
    this subject, if anyone knows any more I am interested...hope this
    answers some of your questions Topher.
    
    Ana   
    
    

    re: .11,
    	That's a fascinating book, isn't it ?  I think it's one of the best
    	general overviews of ceremonial magic I've seen.  There's not much
    depth on any one topic, but she covers a tremendous amount of ground,
    and unexpectedly clearly considering the confusion usually present 
    when an author tries to cross cultural boundaries to describe a common
    kind of practice with diverse forms.  It was interesting to see such
    things as Santeria and European Cabbalism discussed in the same
    volume as having similar principles, without losing their
    individual identity or becoming as heavy as attempts like "The Golden 
    Bough"  
    
    								kind regards,
    
    									todd