Source: The Day

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=88aafcd0-286a-413a-b61c-e152b4ed6dce&prnt=1

On January 23, 2005 The Day reported, "the Botanica Nuestra Senora del Carmen [CT]... is a shop specializing in products associated with Santería, a religion borne when West African slaves were brought to Cuba and the faiths and rituals of Iberian Catholics, Native Americans, and followers of Yoruban spiritual doctrine intermingled. That such an establishment has opened in New London — others in Connecticut can be found in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Willimantic — is reflective of a growing Hispanic presence in this area, particularly in New London, where one in five people are Hispanic. A variety of deities and spirits in Santería symbolize a certain aspect of behavior or desire, and they are invoked in personal ceremonies typically held in the privacy of the practitioner's residence."