Maria Lionza is a faith-healing cult in Venezuela that practices trans-possession. Every Columbus Day (‘Day of Indigenous Resistance’), thousands gather on the sacred mountain of ‘El Sorte’. There, spirit-mediums channel powerful historical deities from Venezuela’s ever-evolving pantheon – from the rebel spirit of Maria Lionza, to the liberator Simon Bolivar, to the ‘courts’ of Vikings, Cubans, Africans, Native Americans and more. Celestial bodies are thought to summon spirits that heal pain, illness, failed love, financial troubles and mental problems.