A girl walks with flowers on her way to the Maria Lionza shrine at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. One long night every year in a mountainous rainforest in Venezuela, hundreds gather to dance on red-hot embers, enter trance-like states, and worship an ancient goddess known as Maria Lionza. Those who travel to the mountain known as Sorte in central Venezuela are practitioners of a cult that is built on local indigenous traditions. Followers say its rituals heal pain and can even cure disease. Legend holds that Maria Lionza, the daughter of an indigenous chief and a European colonizer, battled a massive anaconda until the serpent exploded – causing torrential rains that are typical of the jungle surrounding the Sorte mountain. Spiritual rituals that combine Roman Catholic teachings with African and indigenous legends are routinely practiced side-by-side with Christianity, primarily by Venezuela's working class. Santeria, a religion native to the Caribbean that combines the Yoruba traditions of West African slaves with Catholic teachings of Spanish colonizers, is also popular among those seeking spiritual guidance outside the Catholic church. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





Men walk on embers during a ritual at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People take part in the celebration of the Day of the Dead in a Paleros religious ceremony in Los Teques, in the state of Miranda, Venezuela November 2, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man (R) shakes during rituals at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 10, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People take part in rituals at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 10, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man lies on the floor during a ritual at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 10, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man smokes a cigar during rituals at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 10, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People take part in rituals at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 12, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





Altars are seen on the way to the Maria Lionza shrine at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





The remains of a dead chicken, liquor, and other items used in Santeria rituals are seen in a corner at a house in Caracas, Venezuela November 7, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A woman lights a cigar at a camp at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 10, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People take part on a “Dance on Glass” ritual at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People take part in rituals at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People cross a river at a hamlet in the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A couple lies on the floor during a love and fertility ritual at a camp in the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man removes bones from the head of a goat during a Santeria ceremony in Caracas, Venezuela November 7, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A woman receives a purification bath at the well of San Juan of the Money at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man prepares a purification liquid with liquor, essences and flowers petals at a camp at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People pray, smoke cigars and light up candles at the Maria Lionza shrine at the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





People smoke cigars next to Venezuelan National Guards at the Maria Lionza shrine on the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





The remains of a statue of Pedro Camejo, Venezuelan independence hero known as “Negro Primero”, are seen at the Maria Lionza shrine in the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)





A man walks on his knees as he arrives at the Maria Lionza shrine in the Sorte Mountain on the outskirts of Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela October 11, 2015. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)