Iztapalapa, located in eastern Mexico City, is preparing for the representation of the Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion of Christ, a fervent tradition established more than a century and a half ago, which this 2022 has a hybrid format after two years of being behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The activities of the 179 representation of the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa began on Sunday, with the staging of Palm Sunday which, due to restrictions due to COVID-19, was held behind closed doors like almost all events except this Good Friday, where the Via Crucis will be open to the public.
Under normal conditions, every year Holy Week in this neighborhood brings together more than a thousand actors, 100 horses, 115 bugles and fanfares, and some 2.5 million attendees who walk the main streets of the original neighborhoods of Iztapalapa.
However, by 2022, the authorities expect the assistance of 1.5 million people for the representation of the Viacrucis on Friday, which, according to their estimates, will leave an estimated economic outflow of 100 million pesos.
The route of more than 3 kilometers will be protected by some 1,500 security elements, in addition to almost 400 members of various departments such as the Red Cross, the Fire Department and the C5 (the Security Command and Control Center) of Mexico City.
This year, Axel González Bárcenas and Uri Celeste Mosco Ramirez will bring Jesus and Mary to life in one of the oldest religious traditions in Mexico.
“I have the honor of representing the Virgin Mary, I am very excited and happy to represent a character that involves a lot of responsibility and has to be done with great fervor,” said Uri Mosco, 27, in an interview broadcast on Tuesday on social networks of the Iztapalapa mayor's office.
For his part, Axel González, 22, who will represent Jesus, said that this is “a very strong role”, in which he seeks to leave “the whole heart”.
He stated that for his preparation he goes every day to the gym, then goes to Cerro de la Estrella for rehearsals and some days of the week he goes for a run to have the necessary condition for the performance, where he has to carry a cross weighing about 100 kilograms.
In this edition, according to the authorities, 350 actors will participate.
Although only last week, the Organizing Committee for Holy Week in Iztapalapa (COSSIAC) reported that the actor who would participate as Barabbas “resigned due to discrepancies” with COSSIAC.
According to tradition, the Iztapalapa Way of the Cross was carried out for the first time in 1843 in gratitude to God, for having freed its inhabitants from the epidemic of morbid cholera that affected the country in those years.
Since then, it has been held every year consecutively, with few exceptions.
In 2020 and 2021, the representation took place without the presence of the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that already totals more than 5.7 million cases in Mexico and close to 324,000 deaths.
On April 2, 2012, Mexico City declared the procession held every year in Iztapalapa as Intangible Cultural Heritage. For years, the organizers have been looking for UNESCO to recognize this tradition as well.
With information from EFE
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