Holy Week in Iztapalapa: a cholera epidemic gave rise to the representation of The Passion of Christ

Holy Week came, and with it, for many, some days of rest. Holy Week is the most important commemoration for the Catholic Church, since the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ since his entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are remembered.

In Mexico, there are different ways to commemorate these days, and without a doubt, in Mexico City, one of the most representative, is the way in which it is remembered in Iztapalapa. There, the recreation of what was the death of Christ, when he was crucified, is made. Although, very few know the true story and what started it.

With more than 170 years of history, the representation of the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa mayor's office is one of the most important religious celebrations in Mexico City during Holy Week. It is so important that since 2012 it has been classified as Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the Mexican capital.

The representation of the death of Christ has been taking place for 179 years in Cerro de la Estrella, east of the Mexican capital, with the participation of the neighborhoods that comprise the demarcation, which in total number eight: San Lucas, Santa Barbara, San Ignacio, Sao Paulo, San José, San Pedro, La Asunción and San Miguel.

The beginning of this representation began when, in 1833, with Mexico just a few years of being an independent nation, a cholera epidemic struck the population of Iztapalapa. In the midst of desperation over the spread of the disease, the locals went on a pilgrimage to ask for help from the Lord of La Cuevita, an image of Christ originally from the state of Oaxaca.

It is said that the epidemic that tormented the population not only disappeared, but even, in the town of San Lorenzo, a spring sprouted from an ahuehuete, whose water was miraculous, since it was able to cure the sick.

In fulfillment of the promise of the villagers, they swore that if the whole disaster ended they would represent, year after year, the Passion of Christ. It was in 1843, 10 years later, that the villages of Iztapalapa began to represent the viacrucis of Christ on the Cerro de la Estrella.

To date, it has never been suspended, although the 177th performance was carried out symbolically and adhered to tradition in a closed space, without access to the public and with a small number of actors. This is due to the pandemic that to date continues around the world, although with less intensity, of COVID-19.

And it is that year after year, thousands of believers and tourists gather in the place to enjoy the performance. It is played by the community in natural settings such as churches, chapels and streets. In an area of Cerro de la Estrella, and on the esplanade of the Cuitláhuac Garden, fundamental events of the Passion are staged, with an impressive level of realism.

Year after year, the people who will play Jesus and Mary are chosen, and the other actors are carefully selected. They must be Catholics, of impeccable behavior, with a good voice, and necessarily, natives of the Iztapalapa mayor's office.

The inhabitants of the mayor's office continue to share this custom, which was inherited to them many years ago, a desire to maintain unity through cooperation and collective effort to represent, with great realism, the Passion of Christ in a feast that allows them to reaffirm their faith and the cultural cohesion that the residents of the zone.

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