Mambo

The role of the mambo represents a form of female religious and social power largely unrecognized in colonial legal structures but central to the lived reality of enslaved and free communities. As Maya Deren documents, "In some regions a mambo is considered of lower rank than a houngan but in this referred to is as his equal." The mambo's authority derived from her mastery of ritual knowledge, her ability to mediate between the visible and invisible worlds, and her role as healer, counselor, and organizer of communal religious life.