Sacrificed Goats NOT Satanism Say New Mexico Officials

The carcasses of over 15 goats and sheep, some of them decapitated and drained of blood, were found in the desert in Northeast El Paso near Dyer and Railroad Drive. Of course, a lot of people would associated such a find with satanic rituals. That’s what one Texas game warden thought.

It turns out that the ghastly scene WAS part of a religious ceremony, but not Satanism.

According to the New Mexico Livestock Board, the sacrificed animals were part of the “Santa Terra” religion. It was handled by the New Mexico board because it was determined, during the course of an investigation that the animals were killed in nearby Chaparral, New Mexico.

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A Google search for “Santa Terra” didn’t turn up any results as a religion. That got me wondering: did they mean “Santeria”? I would say that Santeria is a folk religion that’s kind of like Voodoo, but the only thing I know about Santeria is that its practitioners are adamant that they are NOT associated with Voodoo.

Here’s everything else I know about the religion of Santeria:

• I don’t practice Santeria.
• I ain’t got no crystal ball.
• I had a million dollars but I spent it all

(Only 2 of the preceding statements are true).

The man who sacrificed the goats was contacted by investigators in Chaparral and HE says he actually sacrificed more than FIFTY animals, including chickens and ducks.

Here’s the thing, though: animal sacrifice is generally protected by the First Amendment’s freedom of religion clause. So, the man was let off with just a warning about “transferring livestock across state lines”.

No word on if the Chaparral man was connected in any way to either Heina or Sancho.