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The lord of miracles

This ceremony takes place in October for historical and other emotional purposes, like the commemoration of the Santo Cristo de Pachacamilla. The procession of the Lord of Miracles crosses numerous streets and is considered one of the most multitudinous in the Catholic Christian world. In Lima today—where people reside and fight to survive in unfavorable circumstances from the economic and social point of view—the citizens believe that October is the month that joins everyone under a single belief and the hope in Cristo Morado.

How did this religious trend become so popular in Lima? In the middle of the XVII century, Lima was the capital, with over 35,000 inhabitants centered mainly in an area known as Cercado. This was land limited for urbanization in those days. The city boasts remarkable institutions and natural attractions, causing many to relocate to this area. Most originally came from the Atlantic coast of Western Africa, in those days occupied by Portuguese colonizers dedicated to slave trafficking. These groups divided themselves in a caste system like the ones of the Congos, Mantengas, Bozales, Cambundas, Misangas, Mozambiques, Terranovas, Carabelíes, Lúcumos, Minas y Angolas (Bowser, 1977; Rostworowski de Diez Canseco, 1993).

The fact that they had been acculturated to the Catholic religion granted them the power to constitute themselves into legal brotherhoods that worshiped the images to which they were devoted with total freedom. During these activities they even got to sing in the language of their place of origin which they had learned in America thanks to the oral tradition passed of their ancestors. By 1650, the Black Angolans formed a brotherhood in the zone of Pachacamilla, a site that was formally occupied by Indians from Pachacamác. In this place there stands a church, the monastery of the Nazarenes and the premises of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles. They lived in a condition of absolute poverty.

The seat of the brotherhood was a building constructed with walls of adobe and on one of them an Angolan painted the image of the Lord of Miracles. On November 13, 1655, around 12:45 pm, there was an intense earthquake in Lima which tore down houses and churches, leaving a death trail. Peculiarly, the wall with the painting remained intact and did not undergo any damage. This was considered miraculous for years thereafter. When no Angolans were left in the zone, a neighbor of the nearby parish of San Sebastián, Antonio Leon, began to venerate it and to clean up the place. The story goes that that parishioner previously suffered from an incurable disease, from which he immediately recovered. Afterwards, other citizens followed the advice and began the devotion to the Cristo Morado, Lord of Miracles, Cristo de Pachamamilla, etc; there being many names He is known by.

The number of people of color began to increase amongst the followers, who conducted the meetings Friday nights. They lit wax candles and perfumed the place with sahumerio. Other groups soon began this devotion as well. Without trying to discredit the history of this Christ, it is important to mention that Madrid and other places in Spain have associations and meeting places where the Peruvian emigrants go. This demonstrates that they come from the coast, which is where this tradition has had more impact. This phenomenon in Spain has begun a spontaneous fashion.

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Source:  OpenStax, Immigration in the united states and spain: consideration for educational leaders. OpenStax CNX. Dec 20, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11150/1.1
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