San Sebastiana
"Angel de la Muerte"Found through out New Mexico in association with the Penitiente Brotherhood, Doña Sebastiana simply known as La Muerte is the allegorical icon for death. Her familiar form is of a skeleton wielding a bow-in-arrow as she rides a wooden cart. Yet one cannot help but remember the complementary Western icon--- Saint Sebastian, who during the early Christian era was martyred. This saint's depiction is of an euphoric looking Roman strapped to a column who is shot through the head, the trunk as well as the legs with arrows. -Mm- once he crossed the ocean, did this saint receive a gender transfer? It is well know that in pre-colonial America "death" is represented as a female skeleton. If Sebastiana was to survive as a death figure in hybrid America, the gender could only be understood as female. Yet, if the truth was to be known Sebastiana never wanted to be "Death" really all she wanted was love, if not love at least to be respected. In the following interactive video, God must convince her that she is right for the job. Her character is revealed as she barters with him for sainthood. It is her humanity that God desires at the deathbed. Sebastiana loves gossip and believes Time should be halted to allow a revealing story to conclude. Ultimately this gives way to her self-righteous nature as she uses a satirical wit to comments on the "chisme/ gossip" of human folly.