The energies or orishas, for the believers of Afro Cuban Santería, can be compared to what saints are in Catholicism. They are forces that manifest themselves in society and nature. Santería myths—patakies—explain their character, as well as associate them to certain natural materials that represent them in the religious ceremonies, and in everyday life. Mendive’s work poetically connects the viewer and his deities. This connection is not only through the subjects depicted, but also through the symbolism and juxtaposition of materials used.  Energies I and II are sculptures of armless bodies that, even when seated, stand tall like totems overlooking the room. Stylized wood and metal heads crown the sculptures. Resembling spearheads, the heads contain a thin, triangular piece of wood in the middle and sheets of iron on the sides. Their iron edges meet where a nose and mouth might be and separate in the back. The effect is reminiscent of decomposed faces of Cubist sculptures.  The wooden torsos are narrow in depth but wide, as planks from a transversal cut of a tree. Animals and seated figures are painted and carved, and stand on top of each other. Little persons with round heads and armless bodies are depicted in three legs that emerge from the torso. Cowrie shells are embedded in the figures’ chests and backs, and outline the metal of their heads. They are an integral part of the Santería divination system and are also used to represent the facial features of Elegguá, the oricha that opens paths and guards the crossroads, symbolically associated with the number three.