Through the further good fortune of being befriended by a resident of the pueblo, Sr. Roberto Llanos (YAH-nos), we learned of El Señor's visitas during the late spring and summer to a number of other pueblos and barrios in Coyoacán. So, since the end of May, we have been following his travels through several of those neighborhoods.
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| El Señor de la Misericordia leaves Pueblo Tres Santos Reyes at the end of May, beginning his visits to other pueblos in Coyoacán. |
All these neighborhoods have their origins in pueblos originarios, original indigenous villages that existed in the Valley of Mexico when the Spanish arrived in 1519. The travels of El Señor and the fiestas celebrating his transfer from one pueblo to the next, are living manifestations of the process of Spiritual Conquest, carried out by Franciscans and other religious orders, by which indigenous faith and the culture it embodied were transformed into a "westernized" Spanish Catholic one.
Throwing the House Out the Window
So, the first weekend in September, we return to the intersection of Pacifico and Candelaria Avenues, in the center of Coyoacán, to witness and participate in the last stage of El Señor's peripatetic journey. It was here, at the end of June, that we watched his transfer from Barrio Niño Jesús to Pueblo Candelaria, where he resided for two weeks before moving on to San Pablo Tepetlapa and other pueblos in the south of the delegación. In late August, he returned to Candelaria for a second stay of two weeks.
Today, El Señor is returning home to Tres Reyes, which is next door to Candelaria. In our prior visit to the intersection, we were amazed that the saint's transfer was accompanied by a sizeable procession of other saints from a number of pueblos, each on their flower-covered palanquin. We wonder what we will encounter today.
Back in April, Sr. Llanos alerted us that El Señor's return to Tres Reyes was the biggest fiesta of the year for his pueblo—even bigger than that of its namesakes on Three Kings' Day, January 6. He shared a Mexican dicho, saying, regarding Mexican's emotional and financial investment in their fiestas, "echamos la casa por la ventana", "We throw the house out the window".
The Scene Is Set
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| Royal carpet laid out for El Señor tapete de aserrín, sawdust carpet Roses are a symbol of the Virgin Mary |
Crossing Pacifico from where we exit our taxi, we see right away that today's event is on a grand scale. The largest tapete de aserrín, carpet of colored sawdust, we have ever seen, runs for at least 100 feet north, up the south-bound lanes of the Avenue. At the far end is a huge portada, gateway, covered in a design made of fresh flowers. To the south, across Avenida Candelaria, is another portada, and a small tapete.
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| "With offerings of your pueblo, Lord, and given that we offer them with fervor, we receive salvation" |
Quite an escenario, stage, has been set!
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| Mock sword fights. Cross of the Sacred Heart |
A group of men and boys, dressed in medieval-style costumes, is enacting mock sword fights, while a banda plays.
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| Banda |
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| The all-important tuba |
Curious about the portada at the north end, and the apparent crowd gathered there, we walk up alongside the huge tapete.
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| "I am the resurrection. He that believes in me, even though he may die, shall live." El Señor de la Misericordia is depicted in the center. He is the persecuted Christ, who dies but rises again to eternal life. |
Just beyond the portada, we come upon a palanquin that is on the same scale as the tapete and the portada.
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| God, the Father, sits in front of a great Sun, universal symbol of His Holy Presence, awaiting the arrival of el Señor de la Misericordia. He holds the World in His Hands (Mexico is bright yellow). He is accompanied by two archangels and surrounded by some of the Fruits of the Earth. |
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| Second Señor de la Misericordia We recall, from our initial visit to Pueblo Tres Reyes, that there are two, evidently identical, Señores de la Misericordia One stays home while the other goes visiting. |
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| At the front, a Golden Bull! |
We are taken aback by the presence of a Golden Bull at the front of the palanquin. So we ask one of the bearers standing nearby about its inclusion: "Oh, bulls were pagan gods before Christianity."
Our hunch is confirmed. Again, in Mexican Catholicism we encounter references to the replacement of pagan faith by the Christian. This time the symbol is not indigenous, but one that goes back to the Egyptian Bull God, Apsis, complete with a solar disk between his horns. As symbols of the powers of fertility and aggression, hence, life and death, bulls were sacred in the Mediterranean culture of Minoan Crete; later, they were brought by the Phoenicians to what is now Spain. We recall the presence of the playful El Torito, Little Bull, in many Mexican fiestas.
Other children are seated on the palanquin, cast in various roles in the sacred story and patiently waiting for the action to begin:
Other children are seated on the palanquin, cast in various roles in the sacred story and patiently waiting for the action to begin:
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| Moses, who overthrew the paganism of the Golden Calf with monotheism |
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| Dubious Franciscan |
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| It's a long wait. |
Suspecting that they must have a colloquial Mexican name, we ask another attendant what the palanquins are called.
"Andas", he replies (from andar "to walk on" or "go ahead").In hindsight, it's obvious!
Behind the large anda, a virtual host of saints is lined up, awaiting El Señor:
Feligreses y Asiduos, Parishioners and Regular Attendees
Meanwhile, people from Pueblo Candelaria, Tres Reyes and other neighborhoods begin to gather around the tapete in anticipation of El Señor's arrival from Candelaria and his transfer to the care of his home parishioners.
As we are savoring the building anticipation, we hear another banda arriving from the north. We look up the avenue to see a group of our favorite participants in these fiestas coming toward us.
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| Clockwise, from upper left: Lord of the Column, St. Sebastian, St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary, St. Jane of the Lakes, St. Luke, Child Jesus, St. Jude, Child Jesus, Christ on the Cross, St. Sebastian. |
Feligreses y Asiduos, Parishioners and Regular Attendees
Meanwhile, people from Pueblo Candelaria, Tres Reyes and other neighborhoods begin to gather around the tapete in anticipation of El Señor's arrival from Candelaria and his transfer to the care of his home parishioners.
As we are savoring the building anticipation, we hear another banda arriving from the north. We look up the avenue to see a group of our favorite participants in these fiestas coming toward us.
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| Chinelos, Moorish-style dancers, such as we met at San Pablo Tepetlapa and San Lorenzo Huipulco |
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Mask and costume are a mixture of
spoof of the Spanish (blue eyes),
imagined Moors
and Mexican artistry
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All of this is in accompaniment of another saint.
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| El Niño Jesús, from the Barrio of that name. |
The Lord Arrives
Meanwhile, there is evident action at the south end of the tapete. Working our way down the now-crowded sidelines, with many "¿Con permisos?" "With permission (to pass)?", we discover that El Señor has arrived from Pueblo Candelaria and is already on his way towards his home parishioners.
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| El Señor de la Misericordia The Lord of Compassion |
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| El Señor has been brought by Our Lady of Candelaria, accompanied by a huge mariposa, butterfly, and a swarm of smaller ones. Butterflies were an indigenous symbol of rebirth. |
We "con permiso" our way back north to try to get the best possible view of the entrega, the dramatic moment of the delivery of El Señor to his pueblo, his people.
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| The Lord of Compassion is flanked by the Virgin of Candelaria (right). and St. Michael, the Archangel, patron saint of Mexico. |
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| El Señor is carried up the tapete de asarrín by feligreses of Pueblo Candelaria. Rose petals are strewn in his path. |
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| El Señor is placed on the anda of Tres Reyes. God seems to be excited, but the archangels don't seem impressed. |
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| The anda is raised by some two dozen men of the confradía, brotherhood, of the parish of Tres Reyes and, at last, the procession begins. |
La Procesión
The large anda, now bearing both Señores de la Misericordia, along with the Heavenly Host, Moses, the Golden Bull and assorted other figures of faith, has to be lifted by the men of the confradía of Tres Reyes, and turned around in order to be born up Pacifico. It is followed by all the other saints.
A block north, we meet another surprise. In the middle of the intersection is a castillo, a "castle", actually a tower, hung with fireworks. Usually, these are built in the atrios of churches hosting a fiesta and are ignited the last night of the celebrations. As the procession arrives, this castillo is lit, accompanied by a barrage of cohetes. Its various figures shoot off more cohetes, which cause them to spin.
The crowd watches raptly (más o menos, more or less) and applauds.
The large anda, now bearing both Señores de la Misericordia, along with the Heavenly Host, Moses, the Golden Bull and assorted other figures of faith, has to be lifted by the men of the confradía of Tres Reyes, and turned around in order to be born up Pacifico. It is followed by all the other saints.
A block north, we meet another surprise. In the middle of the intersection is a castillo, a "castle", actually a tower, hung with fireworks. Usually, these are built in the atrios of churches hosting a fiesta and are ignited the last night of the celebrations. As the procession arrives, this castillo is lit, accompanied by a barrage of cohetes. Its various figures shoot off more cohetes, which cause them to spin.
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| "Bless your pueblo, Lord" Pavo reales, Royal turkeys, i.e., peacocks, are favorite symbols |
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| At the climax, a scroll drops, displaying an image of El Señor, and confetti is spewed |
The crowd watches raptly (más o menos, more or less) and applauds.
At this point, we also run into some people we recognize from earlier processions of El Señor.
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| Sr. Domingo González, Member of the Fiesta Committee of el Pueblo de Los Tres Santos Reyes. We have seen him at many previous processions, keeping a close eye on El Señor. |
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| Sr. Roberto Llanos and his wife, of el Pueblo Los Tres Santos Reyes. We owe to him our coming to know and being able to follow El Señor de la Misericordia in his visitas through the pueblos of Coyoacán. With muchas gracias, we dedicate our series of posts about El Señor to him. |
After the castillo has expended its rockets, the procession turns into Calle Real de los Reyes, the Royal Street of the Kings! Here it enters el Pueblo itself. The threshold is marked by another large, flower-covered portada—the third one along the procession's path.
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| "That you may know the truth and the truth will make you free." |
¡Aguantar con orgullo! Bearing with pride!
As we enter the narrow calleja, side street, characteristic of traditional barrios, we step aside from the dense flow of the procession to take a look at it as a spectator.
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| Yet another banda goes by, this one composed of jóvenes, youth. |
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| Focused intensity, and big brother keeps an eye. |
We see that, in addition to the many andas that were awaiting El Señor when we arrived at the intersection of Pacifico and Candelaria, even more have now joined the procession. But besides marveling at their numerous saints and multitudinous flowers, our attention is also drawn to the effort being expended by those bearing the heavy structures.
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| "¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?" "Am I not here, I who am your mother?" The statement of the Virgin of Gudalupe to San Juan Diego. The children are dressed as Aztecs. The Pope, who visited Mexico last February, is portrayed to the right rear. The covered structure is a model of the modern Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in northern Mexico City. This anda is the quintessential image of the Spiritual Conquest we have been exploring. |
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| The men take a brief rest from their labors. |
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| Women, too, bear the weight of some of the andas |
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| ...with much pride. |
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| Shoulder "lump" is cushion to protect from the weight. |
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| Orgullo (Or-GOO-yo), Pride in their work and in their pueblo. |
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| and appreciation! |
Adapted Tradition
Watching all this esfuerzo para aguantar, effort expended to bear the heavy weight of the andas and their sacred passengers—both statuesque and living—through the streets of the pueblo, we recall that the tradition of these processions of saints is another import of the Spanish friars from medieval Catholic Europe as one of their instruments of Spiritual Conquest, of religious and cultural conversion.
Nevertheless, we are struck by the commitment and pride with which this sacred ritual is carried on, literally, by Mexican men and women of all ages. They display a true pride of ownership. They are proud of their pueblos, their identity and their personal sacrifice given to maintain both. We think back to the first flowered portada of this fiesta, at the corner of Pacifico and Candelaria, in the middle of the modern megalopolis that is Mexico City:
"With offerings of your pueblo, Lord, and given that we offer them with fervor, we receive salvation."
It isn't ours to know about eternal salvation and how it might be achieved, but continuity of an ancient and proud communal identity, Yes! For this, "echamos la casa por la ventana, "We throw the house out the window".
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| Note: A number of children, and some adults, are wearing traditional Mexican attire. Mexican Independence Day is less than two weeks away. |
El Señor Arrives Home
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| "The kingdom of God is among us." A fitting statement of community as sacred. |
The procession makes another turn into Calle Plazuela de los Reyes, Street of the Little Plaza of the Kings, which leads to the church of Tres Santos Reyes, the Three Saintly Kings, where the journey of El Señor—and our adventure through some of the original pueblos of Coyoacán—began more than three months ago.
The narrow street and the small plaza are jammed with people, small juegos mechánicos, mechanical rides, and puestos selling "fair bread" and other food. Not to speak of numberless andas that are now unloading their saints, which are to be carried into the church along with their host, El Señor. It is nearly impossible to approach the church.
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| Calle Plazuela de los Reyes |
The narrow street and the small plaza are jammed with people, small juegos mechánicos, mechanical rides, and puestos selling "fair bread" and other food. Not to speak of numberless andas that are now unloading their saints, which are to be carried into the church along with their host, El Señor. It is nearly impossible to approach the church.
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| Another anda that we did not see in the procession. We wonder how many there were in all. |
Thankfully, familar with the space from our previous visits, we are able to wend our way around the edge of the plaza, past some parked andas, to the base of a large flagpole that sits atop a zócalo, a pedestal, probably twelve feet high and four yards square, accessable by a narrow metal stairway. Sr. Llanos reminded us, when we met him earlier, that it was a good place from which to take photos.
Muchachos y muchachas, teenage boys and girls, have pretty much claimed the space as their own, but muy amable, they make room for us near the top of the stairs.
Muchachos y muchachas, teenage boys and girls, have pretty much claimed the space as their own, but muy amable, they make room for us near the top of the stairs.
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| Castillo ready for its pyrotechnic display after dark. Ójala, God willing, the rains will continue to hold off. It is the height of the rainy season. |
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| El Señor de la Misericordia, The Lord of Compassion, returns home. It is believed that touching his garment will bring a blessing. |
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| "Your pueblo adores you, Lord." The three kings accompany his image. The fifth and final portada of the fiesta. |
Once El Señor has entered the sanctuary, the crowd—those who haven't entered with Him—disperse to enjoy the feria, the fair part of the festivities, with its food and rides. The fair fills not only tiny Plazuela de los Reyes, but also the two west-bound lanes of the modern-day boulevard that passes behind the church as it cuts across the middle of the old pueblo.
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| With that ancient act of sweepíng that we have seen so many times, the ritual of las visitas del Señor comes to an end. Gracias por compartirlas We give thanks for having been able to share in them. |
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| Pueblo Tres Santos Reyes is starred green. Pueblo Candelaria is yellow to its southeast. Colonia Parque San Andrés (gold, to northeast) is Mexico City Ambles' homebase. |
See also:
Mexico City's Original Villages: Introduction - Landmarks of the Spiritual Conquest
The Spiritual Conquest: The Franciscans - Where It All Began
Mexico City's Original Villages: Coyoacán's Many Pueblos
Coyoacán: Pueblo of Tres Santos Reyes and the Lord of Compassion
Coyoacán: The Lord of Compassion Goes Visiting
Coyoacán: The Lord of Compassion Visits Barrios San Lucas and Niño Jesús, the Child Jesus
Coyoacán: Pueblo Candelaria Welcomes the Lord of Compassion
Coyoacán: The Lord of Compassion Travels from San Pablo Tepetlapa to Santa Úrsula Coapa
Coyoacán: San Mateo Churubusco - Identity Via Church and Market
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