Dominican Vudú

Dominican Vudú, or Dominican Voodoo (Spanish: Vudú Dominicano), popularly known as Las 21 Divisiones (The 21 Divisions), is a heavily Catholicized syncretic religion of African-Caribbean origin which developed in the former Spanish colony of Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola.

Since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the 16th-century, there were uprisings against the slave owners and Maroon villages were built (also known in other parts of the continent as quilombos or manieles).

The process of evangelization in the colonies would not allow them to freely express their beliefs and they were forced to observe Catholic customs.

In the Counter-Reformation Church – in opposition to Lutheran ideas – the cult of saints and their images became fundamental in the ritual and indoctrination of Catholicism.

One who has obtained this title has gone through the last and highest level of initiation which can take anywhere between three and nine days and nights as well as have spent a time working for the community.