Candomblé is the Afro-Brazilian version of West African indigenous religion brought to Latin America by enslaved peoples. It mixes Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu beliefs from West Africa with Western Catholicism, and is built on oral tradition with no written doctrine or scripture. Orishas, or spirits, are divine representations of everything that makes up the world and humanity.

Photographer Josefina Bietti draws from Candomblé for an Orisha-inspired shoot for ELLE Brazil’s March 2018 issue, starring model Mariane Calazan as various Orishas.