8.13.2007 | The new face of Death

Extreme makeover: Before and after

Something of a cult figure in Mexico, Santa Muerte, or the Angel of Death, has eschewed the usual scythe and globe for something a bit more accessible: a crown and veil. Venerating the saint of death is controversial in the Catholic Church, which frowns upon it as a sort of pseudo-Satanism linked with black magic. Still, as this one Mother Jones article on immigration showed in 2006, she plays a central role in the dangerous life on the Mexican border, and this military researcher calls her "Mexico's patron saint of crime."

At least now she's a little easier on the eyes.