The Black Christ of Valle de Bravo, Mexico
By: Kylie Elain Lieblang Muro*
Editor’s Introduction: The Black Christ of Valle de Bravo, Mexico, is one of the main attractions of the area. Tourists throughout the nation and from around the world come to view this spectacular monument.
The Black Christ is located in the Sanctuary of the Lord of Santa María in the town of Valle de Bravo, Mexico. (Photo by Meta Mari Carmen Hernandez)
The town of Valle de Bravo is located in the state of Mexico in the center of the country. It is designated as one of the “magical towns” of Mexico and is a lovely colonial town located on a lake. With watersports, camping, horseback riding, museums, and activities, Valle de Bravo is a wonderful weekend retreat and vacation spot for Mexico City’s rich upper-class and international tourists worldwide. And many come to see the Black Christ.
The colonial town of Valle de Bravo, overlooking Lake Avándaro, is located in central Mexico just two hours by car from Mexico City.
The Black Christ is located in the Sanctuary of the Lord of Santa María, a building constructed in the late seventh century. (Photos by Meta Mari Carmen Hernandez)
There is also a crucifix with the Black Christ and Virgin Mary in Lake Avándaro in Valle de Bravo. (Photo by Patricia Ann Talley)
Not everyone knows about “El Cristo Negro” that exists in Mexico. Everyone thinks that there is only the typical white Christ, so I will tell you about the belief of the origin of “El Señor del Veneno.”
The black wooden Christ is something that attracts attention because everyone has the idea of a god with a white complexion and colored eyes.
It is said that the crucifix has its origin in the syncretism of Spanish and Aztec culture. The ancient Mexica used to associate the color black with Tezcatlipoca, the god of heaven and earth. Some suggest that the color was used by the Spanish because, in this way, the natives could associate more easily with the divinity of Jesus Christ during the evangelization.
There are other versions of the story claiming that the Black Christ was the result of a miracle that changed the color of the crucifix which earned him the nickname of ‘Señor del Veneno’ – Lord of the Poison.
According to this story, Christ was white when he arrived in Mexico on a Spanish ship during the conquest. But then, his color changed to black when the figure saved the life of a believer.
In the colonial era when Mexico was New Spain, there was a rich man named Don Fermin Adueza, a great man who got along well with everyone. He used to go to church every morning to pray in the church where this Christ was. He deposited a gold coin on the plate located in the bloody feet of Christ, and then he kissed the feet with humility. Don Fermín never missed his morning visits. The neighbors said that this was one of the many signs of the nobility of Fermin.
Ismael Treviño, another rich man who was really selfish and envious, was really jealous of Fermin. He took every opportunity to say bad things about him and get really angry if someone said something good about him. Everyone liked Fermin because he was a better person.
This envy led Don Ismael to interpose himself in all of Don Fermín’s businesses. But everything seemed to go the other way: Don Fermín came out of all obstacles and made agreements that gave him success and many gains. This made Ismael really mad, so he wished to see Don Fermin dead. He began to plan the way that he could kill him. After much thought, he concluded that the best way to end Don Fermín was to poison him. So he put poison on the feet of Christ because he knew that Fermin would kiss them during his daily ritual.
The following day, Fermin hid and waited for Don Fermin to arrive as usual to pray. Don Fermin arrived and did his typical routine, but when he was going to kiss the feet of Christ, the figure shrunk his legs, laid his feet to one side, and suddenly the entire Christ became black in color. Don Ismael was in shock! He came out of his hiding place and knelt before the miraculous Christ to ask for forgiveness for his actions.
The belief is that Christ absorbed the poison to save Don Fermin, because, he was a good man who always helped people and went to church.
References:
El Cristo Negro, uno de los principales atractivos de Valle de Bravo December 24, 2014. http://www.radioformula.com.mx/notas.asp?Idn=466590&idFC=2014
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Kylie Elain Lieblang Muro when she was a senior at Instituto Lizardi in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico. She wants to be a journalist. This publication encourages student participation. Congratulations, Kylie!