Patron of fishermen
This Black Christ, patron of the port of Sisal, is to be found in the parish church at Hunucmá, 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the port.
Sisal, one of Yucatan’s Magical Towns since 2020, is 74 kilometers (46 miles) northwest of Merida. The name means “cold water”, from sisil coolness or cold, and há water, according to the Cordemex Maya Dictionary, while Hunucmá means “much water”, from hunak much or plenty, and há.
The date and place of manufacture of the effigy of the Lord of Sisal, as he is known to believers, are unknown. Oral tradition has it that it was found floating off the coast at Sisal in 1915, or else at an earlier time associated with pirates. However, the architect and historian Leopoldo M. González Martín points out that a festival in honor of the statue was already being held in the second half of the 19th century.
The image is greatly revered in the coastal town, especially among fishermen, and many miracles have been attributed to it.
The carving, movingly simple, shows Christ dead on the Cross, his hair and beard sculpted as part of the figure. The slender, black body of the crucified victim combines with these other features to lend the statue a singular elegance that inspires the faithful.
The statue of the Lord of Sisal remains in Hunucmá for 11 months of the year, displayed on a side altar in the church of St. Francis, near the chancel, on the Gospel or left side. It can be visited when the church is open.
The festivities begin on the 1st of August, when the statue is taken to Sisal. On the last Sunday of the month, before its return to the home parish, the beloved image is carried on a pilgrimage by sea, on board a boat with a flotilla in its wake, along the coast and even out to sea a certain distance.
This festival is the only time the statue leaves Hunucmá. However, popular tales tell how sometimes the Christ goes to Sisal alone, judging by the sand that appears next to his altar. In April 2023, it what was apparently a unique event, the image was taken to the port during Holy Week, and remained there for the first few days of Easter Week, together with the Virgin of Tetiz, God’s Poor Woman, who was also carried there for the same Easter period.
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