A saint galloping across time
From the center of the main reredos in the church at Halachó, mounted on his steed and brandishing a sword in his right hand, the effigy of St.James Matamoros protects the inhabitants of the town and its neighboring villages.
This equestrian image, probably made in the 1920s, replaced an earlier piece carved in Colonial times, which was destroyed in March 1915 during the Mexican Revolution, according to cultural advocate Miguel Ángel Ku Mis, in his book Guilds. The cult od St.James the Great in Halachó, Yucatan.
In 1842, the explorer John Lloyd Stephens described the Colonial sculpture in the following terms in his book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan: “The fore feet of the horse were raised in the air, and the saint wore a black cocked hat, with a broad gold band, a short mantle of scarlet velvet, having a broad gold edging round the cape and skirts, green velvet trousers, with a wide gold stripe down the sides, and boots and spurs.”
The present sculpture is very different from the original, and there is a certain lack of proportion among its elements, such as the relative sizes of the horse and the saint who rides him, and the depiction of the Moor beneath the horse’s hooves. However, this in no way discourages the people of Halachó from expressing the strength of their faith and devotion.
This statue of St James has great religious significance for the southwest part of Yucatan. The deep reverence it causes is expressed in various ways, such as the two yearly feasts celebrated in his honor, or the informal nicknames used to refer to the saint, such as “The Disciple Jimmy” or “Papá San”.
The first feast dedicated to the patron saint are the Novenas, which since the mid-19th century have been held from the 15th of July to the 4th of August, the 25th of July being the most important day. The second festival is organized in the last week of November.
Various legends regarding the statue are recounted in the area, and also attest to the people’s zeal. The sculpture is displayed in the central niche of the high altar, and can be visited during times of religious services in the church.
Halachó is around 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Merida. According to the Coremex Maya Dictionary, the name means “reed mouse”, from halal reed, and cho mouse.
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