page_title: Child Jesus images in Mexico
section_title: Particular Niño Dios images
hierarchical_section_title: Child Jesus images in Mexico / Particular Niño Dios images
caption_attribution_description: English: Close up of the Niño de las Suertes in Tacubaya, Mexico City
context_page_description: The Niño Dios of Mexico is a tradition of venerating the Child Jesus in Mexico which has taken root from the time it was introduced in the 16th century and then syncretized with pre-Hispanic elements to form some unique traditions. Mexican Catholics have their own images of the Child Jesus, which is honored and celebrated during the Christmas season, especially on Christmas Eve and on Candlemas. One tradition unique to Mexico is to dress the image in new clothing each year for presentation at Mass on Candlemas. This dress can vary from representations of the saints, Aztec dress, football/soccer players and more. Also, there are Niño Dios images which are locally famous and honored year-round.
context_section_description: In addition to the veneration of household Niños Dios during the Christmas season, there are a number of Child Jesus images that have year-round devotion. These Niños Dios often have a special place in the worship by Mexican Catholics, but sometimes they have been the objects of “kidnapping” and disputes. Most of the best-known images are in Mexico City and central Mexico. Offerings to these images are usually toys or candy, a tradition related to offerings made to the dead for the afterlife in pre-Hispanic times.
  One of the earliest of the Niño Dios images in Mexico is the Niño Cautivo which is in the Metropolitan Cathedral. It was sculpted in the 16th century by Juan Martinez Montañez in Spain and purchased by the cathedral. However, on its way to Veracruz, pirates attacked the ship it was on and sacked it. To get the image back, a large ransom was paid. Today, the image is in the Chapel of San Pedro or De las Reliquias.
  Traditionally, the image has been petitioned by those seeking release from restrictions or traps, especially financial problems or drug addiction or alcoholism. The cult to the Niño Cautivo is considered to be “inactive” by INAH. However, this particular image has made a comeback since 2000 as one to petition when a family member is abducted and held for ransom.
  Another famous Niño Dios is the Niñopa (also written Niño-Paor Niñopan) of Xochimilco, which is also from the 16th century. This image originally belonged to an indigenous chief called El Viejo.  The name “Niño Pa” is a hybrid of the Spanish word for “child” (niño) and the Nahuatl word for “place” (pan) meaning “child of the place.” It is said that this image goes about at night to visit people in their dreams and to check the crops of the community. Some claim to have found mud on the image’s shoes in the morning.
  This image has been housed in one family’s home or another for over 430 years.  The host family who become its “godparents” or mayodomos for the year. To be a “godparent” for this image is a great honor in Xochimilco, with the list extending until 2035 with families waiting fifty years. The family prepares a special bedroom in their home to house the child for the year. Those families who have housed the image in past years have replicas of the Niño Pa.
  It is claimed that this image made itself invisible when government soldiers came to claim it during the Cristero War. It was presumed that the image was made of orange tree wood because of the writings about it by Martín Serón y Alvarado. However, this was proven false in the 1970s, when the image was dropped and a finger broke off. It is made the wood from a tree called “chocolín” in the workshops of Bernardino of Siena in the 16th or 17th century.
  The Niño de las Suertes has a strong following due to its association with Santa Muerte. While the image was created in the 19th century, its popular veneration is a recent phenomenon. The image was found by two evangelists in the rubble of the Hacienda of San Juan de Dios in Tlalpan. It was handed over to Archbishop Francisco Lizana y Beaumont. As a number of monasteries wanted to claim it, the archbishop decided to make the decision by lottery. It is said that this image favored the Convent of San Bernardo due to the vow of poverty by its nuns. This was confirmed by doing the drawing three times. In the 19th century, due to tensions between the Mexican government and the Church, the image was moved to Tacubaya when the convent was secularized. This image has a skull by the infant's head. This originally symbolized the future Passion, but recently it has made this image associated with Santa Muerte, whose devotees visit.
  In Tacuba, there is on image called the Niño Futbolista (Child Football/Soccer player) although its real name is "Santo Niño de los Milagros." It is considered to be generous in granting miracles and is in a glass case surrounded by toys given by the faithful to favors received. Every four years, when the FIFA World Cup is played, this image is dressed in the uniform of the Mexico national football team, in the hopes tha
caption: Niño de las Suertes
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