The Society is governed by a King, who is represented in each district by a "Father of the Community" or Chief Doctor, who has at his command the Brujos or Conjurors.
Santa Baraba, the patron saint of the order is no less than a savage idol with a Catholic name.
There are annual fiestas in honor of this Saint, where only members of the Society are admitted, but I was fortunate enough to witness from a friendly roof the sacred dance and battle with the devil.
Clothed only in long strings of feathers, the Brujo who played the part of "leading man", prostrated himself before the sacred image and lighted the sacrificial flames.
Goats, black cocks and other animals were brought forward by the devotees and beheaded. Fruit also was offered.
The nature of the sacrifice most acceptable to the Mabruja is communicated in advance to each of the Saint's followers, through the medium of the Brujo.
It is certain that most of the time the exigencias of the saint do not pass the sacrifice of a fat cock, or a goat whose head is consumed by the flames (while the father of the community eats the rest of the victim), but cases have presented where the dagger or poison, have been ordered to remove some obstruction from the path of private individuals, whose money has influenced the saint to decree their death.
Sacrificial dances are always at night and the weird, scantily clad figure of the officiating priest can easily be likened to that of some demon tending the infernal fires.
After the sacrifice, the low monotonous moaning of the tom-tom announces that the ball has opened.
Twisting his body in painful contortions, the brujo dances about the sacred fire, gaining momentum with each round until he at last resembles a human pin-wheel; now slower and slower he dances, scanning the faces of his fear-stricken followers for a victim, until at last his hypnotic eye fixes upon an aged negress, who falls screaming to earth in convulsed fear. She is possessed of a Mabruja or Evil Spirit, who has inconsiderately taken possession of the old lady's person, without her leave, and the "doctor" wants to extract it; apparently the operation becomes painful to the old lady, who would doubtless have much rather been left in quiet possession of his satanic majesty.
