Modern and Contemporary African Architecture: Individual Agency in the Construction of Santeria Alters
Haydee's La Caridad del Cobre altar For the purpose of this blog post, we will focus on the altar home of Haydee, a Puerto Rican Santera. Haydee constructed a small shrine in her living room dedicated to La Caridad del Cobre, otherwise known as Oshun (orisha of fresh water, purity, and fertility), that precisely emulated a shrine that she saw within a vision. The actual construction of the altar was catalyzed by a series of signs interpreted by Haydee to signal the apropos temporal considerations for the exact replication of her apparition. The altar was comprised of a series of models that depict La Caridad, spatially arranged depending on their relative size. Around these icons, yellow velones (tall glass candles) and fresh flowers are placed for adornment, an ode to La Caridad’s associated colors. Markedly, all the icons are placed directly on the floor, alluding to the African ritual practices of orisha worship and to the African “faces” of saints. This shrine i
