Walls painted with traditional Afro-Cuba themes showing dances in Havana, Cuba. During the ceremonies in august, the Palero talks to the gods and ask them for help and protection against enemies. As a contribution, he sacrifices a goat and offers its blood, considered food for the spirits. The Palo religion belongs to the group of syncretic religions developed in Cuba amongst the black slaves, originally brought from Congo during the colonial period. It includes features of Santeria (Cuba), Vodoo (Haiti) and Candomble (Brazil). Palo worships the spirits and natural powers but can often give them faces and names known from the Christian dogma. Although there have been strong religious restrictions during the decades of the Cuban Revolution, the majority of Cubans still consult about their problems with practitioners of some Afro Cuban religion.

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