Lima’s Lord of Miracles Procession

September 15th, 2005

Imagine a dark-skinned Christ, painted on a wall by an Angolan slave during the Spanish Viceroyalty, that has survived a devastating earthquake and the furious attempts of the colonial ecclesiastical hierarchy to erase it. Imagine a wooden platform covered with silver and gold, that weights over a ton. Imagine a procession of hundreds of thousands of devotees, all dressed in purple habits. Welcome to Lima’s Lord of Miracles Procession.

October, Lima’s mystical month, is when the city’s patron, the Señor de los Milagros -or Lord of Miracles-, is celebrated. The largest procession in the whole South America, it congregates devotees from all over the country, even abroad. 

The origins of the Lord of Miracles date back to the mid XVII century (probably between 1650 and 1651), during the Spanish Viceroyalty. An anonymous Angolan slave painted a dark-skinned Christ on the wall of a humble plot in the Pachacamilla ranch, near Lima. At the time a non-white Christ was considered heretic, but notwithstanding several attempts by the ecclesiastical hierarchy to erase it, the image resisted. The devotion for the image boosted in 1655, when a massive earthquake demolished every building in the proximities, but not that wall.

During the whole month of October, known as the mes morado, or purple month, minor observations in honour of the patron (whose colour is purple) are celebrated. The main event occurs the 18th: a procession that counts hundreds of thousands of devotees. Dressed in purple habits, they sing and pray while accompanying the image on its 24-hour route from the Nazarenas temple to La Merced church in the Barrios Altos district. The wooden portable platform that carries the image is completely covered with silver and gold, and weights more than a ton. It is carried out on shoulders by the loaders of the “Pachacamilla Christ Brotherhood”.

Sweets and food can be purchased from vendors along the path of the procession, in particular the traditional Turrón de Doña Pepa, a soft nougat candy made almost only during October.

Bullfighting Season
During October and November, the Señor de los Milagros bullfighting season takes place in Lima’s Plaza de Acho (1768), one of the oldest bullrings in the Americas. Known as the Feria Taurina del Señor de los Milagros, it gathers the most prestigious bullfighters of America and Spain, who compete for the Escapulario de Oro (golden scapular).

This year the traditional bullfighting season celebrates its 60th anniversary, and celebrates it with eight dates: four bullfights, one rejoneo (bullfights from horse-back), two novilladas (bullfights with young bulls), and a gala festival. Some 10 renowned matadors will participate, including Julián López “El Juli”, Enrique Ponce, Luis Francisco Esplá, and Finito de Córdoba.

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized