Santéría is a religious tradition brought to the United States by immigrants from Cuba in the second half of the 20th century. She originated among the Yoruba people of what is now Nigeria. The Yoruba were enslaved in large numbers in the early decades of the 19th century, and transported to Cuba to work in the island's expanding industry. Perhaps more than 500,000 Yoruba men and women came to Cuba. The word "sant2ría" means "path of the saints" in Spanish and reflects the trend of the Lucumi: matching their deities from Africa, called "Orishas" , with the saints of the Catholic traditions in which they were indoctrinated. The orishas are personal, the cosmic forces that inhabit and energize them are the world of nature: mineral, plant, animal and human. In theory, there are many Orishas but in practice there are only sixteen who are widely known and revered. Each orisha has a distinct personality, and is approached through their own appropriate rituals. The Orisha Ogun, for example, is a harsh, masculine deity, who, like the cosmic blacksmith, transforms the world through metals and metals. The Orisha Oshun, in contrast, is a feminine deity of the river, and sea , she is soft and beautiful but very powerful.