With the planting of the Catholic faith among the slaves brought to the islands of the Caribbean as early as 1503, traditional African beliefs gradually became a quasi-religion, partially absorbing Abrahamic theology, since some peoples of Africa (especially northern and eastern) were influenced by Islam and Christianity before how they got to the American continent as slaves. The area of distribution of the new religious cult covered Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, the American states of Orleans, Louisiana, and especially the island of Haiti. At first, the Catholic Church waged a tough fight against the mystical and religious cults of the settlers and forced them to accept Catholicism. But this did not bring results.
The Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution that followed it led to the fact that the church lost its position in the confrontation with liberalism and turned from the subject of revelations into their object. After that, the next stage of the formalization of traditional African beliefs in the voodoo religion began. It is associated with the name of Marie Laveau, who made voodoo a fashionable and profitable faith among a large part of the Louisiana population. Lavoe, being a Catholic, must have noticed that there is much in common between the mystical-religious cults of West Africa and the Christian faith. She managed to combine two religions into one in such a way that the resulting syncretic religious cult attracted the attention of even whites, who usually did not take any “rudimentary fantasies” seriously.
Mulatto Marie Laveau, according to some sources, was a descendant of French aristocrats. In 1819, she married the French quadruple Jacques Paris and settled in a mansion in St. Ann Street, inherited from her father. A year later, she was widowed and got a job in a hairdresser. There, Lavoe acquired a wealthy clientele – and casually began to offer her her magical services. Pretty quickly, she gained a reputation as a powerful sorceress, rumors about which spread to the general public.
Turning voodoo rituals into grandiose shows with dances and a carnival, Laveau ensured that the establishment frequented her performances. And soon she already had rich and influential clients who needed the help of “higher powers.” Laveau is also considered the ancestor of one of the three branches of religion – the so-called Louisiana voodoo, which is distinguished by ostentatious openness and pomp of ceremonies. The efforts of the high priestess (mamba) Lavoe contributed to the transformation of New Orleans into an informal voodoo capital, which still attracts tourists with witchcraft themes.
