page_title: Cristos Negros of Central America and Mexico
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cristos Negros of Central America and Mexico / History
caption_attribution_description: Main altar of the church of the Sanctuary of Chalma in Chalma, Malinalco, Mexico State
context_page_description: Cristo Negros or Black Christs of Central America and Mexico trace their origins to the veneration of an image of Christ on a cross located in the Guatemalan town of Esquipulas, near the Honduran and El Salvadoran border. This image was sculpted in 1595 in wood and over time it blackened and gained a reputation for being miraculous. Little is known of how veneration of the image was spread by clergy, although there are records of its introduction in various locations, especially in Central America, southern Mexico, central Mexico and even as far north as New Mexico. However, a number of these images, such as the ones in Chalma, State of Mexico and Mérida, Yucatán have origin stories that do not connect the local image with that of Esquipulas. The Cristo Negro of Esquipulas remains an important symbol for Central America, with its sanctuary the most visited site in the region. There are hundreds of other such images with at least local importance with Christ of Chalma attracting millions of visitors, second only to that of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico.
context_section_description: Although the veneration of the Virgin Mary, especially in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe is famous in Mexico and to some extent in Central America, there has been a strong tradition of venerating images of Christ, especially crucifixes, which was more prominent than that of Mary in the colonial period. This has its origins in the practices of Catholic Europe at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, themselves derived from medieval traditions. At least two thirds of Mexico’s Christ shrines were focused on crucifixes, and like in Europe, many of these Christ images have been purported to sweat or bleed and even spontaneously restore themselves after deterioration. Most of the Christ shrines originated early in the 17th century and a number gained importance into the 18th and 19th centuries. One reason for the devotion to images of Christ and the Virgin Mary is that there was little tradition of the veneration of saints' relics as there was in Europe. The Americas had few saints before the papacy of John Paul II.
  The veneration of “Cristos Negros,” literally “black Christs” is to images of Jesus on the cross which are black in color. The origin of this phenomenon is traced to the town of Esquipulas, Guatemala, a small town near the border of Honduras and El Salvador. This an image that was carved in wood in the late 16th century, which in time darkened to a black color and miracles were ascribed to the image. Since the veneration of the Esquipulas image was established, there has been a process of diffusion of its veneration. Documentation of this spread is spotty and little in known of monks and clergy who spread veneration of this type of crucifix by introducing replicas to other areas in Central America and Mexico. Evidence that the Cristos Negros in other areas are related to that of Esquipulas includes documentation of the work of missionary Antonio Margil (1657-1726) who worked in Central America and Mexico and is linked to black Christ images in Tila, Chiapas and Querétaro . Other evidence includes records of replicas being sent to places such as the Nuestra Señora del Carmen church in La Antigua Guatemala (later to Guatemala City) in 1701, El Sauce and Tipitapa, Nicaragua in 1720 and 1755 respectively, the Pacific coast of Panama, in the 18th century,  Moroleón, Guanajuato in the 19th century and the introduction of the image by Franciscan priests in Nueva Galicia (today Jalisco) in the mid 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, there are records of replica in various parts of Central America along with festivals dedicated to the image, with the spread continuing in the 19th century. One other indication of the spread from Guatemala include ranches with the suffix “de Esquipulas” found in Central America, Chiapas and Tabasco .
  However, most of the black Christ images have origin stories that do not relate to Esquipulas, rather than they were found or otherwise appeared in small communities in rural locations from the 17th to 18th century. Many of these stories also show links to pre Hispanic beliefs such as images being associated with caves, springs and clay/mineral deposits associated with deities common in the Mesoamerican world, with the Christ images taking over many of these deities’ aspects.
  The spread of Cristo Negro shrines or sanctuaries have mostly been confined to Central America, southern Mexico (especially Chiapas and Oaxaca), with some important images near Mexico City and one in New Mexico. The original Esquipulas shrine has been managed by Benedictine monks since 1959, who work to support its prominence, lately made easier by the more tranquil political situation in the region, allowing for more pilgrimages.
  Academic documentation of these shrines began in the early 20th century, with important surveys done in 1987 and 2011.
  With Central American and Mexican migration to the United States and Canada, the image of the Cristo Negro, especially that directly associated with Esquipulas, has received new importance in new areas. The image is invoked by Hondurans and Guatemalans 
caption: Main altar with the Our Lord of Chalma in the State of Mexico
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