A cult arising from a miraculous apparition
Surrounded by the faith and fervor of the prayers offered to him, the Holy Christ of the Exaltation, in Sitilpech, watches over the inhabitants of the town and nearby communities from his niche in the main reredos in the church of St. Jerome.
Although the date and place of this revered black statue’s manufacture are unknown, as is the date of its arrival in the village, oral tradition claims a miraculous origin for the piece, and simultaneously links it to two other images venerated in nearby sanctuaries: the Virgin of Izamal, and the Christ of Citilcum.
In his book Legends of Izamal, published posthumously in 1990, Ramiro Briceño López gives us a tale entitled “The Two Brothers”, which mentions the miraculous occurrences. And although the story, like all good legends, does not specify a particular time, but rather “Many years ago, so many that everyone has lost count…”, it makes reference to historical events from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The story goes that one day two brothers arrived in Izamal. They looked very similar, almost like twins, although one claimed to be older because he was a little taller than the other. People respected them, because they were hard-working, could turn their hands to anything they were asked to do, and were very devoted to the Virgin.
The brothers were very close, but at one time they split up: the elder went to Sitilpech and the younger to Citilcum, villages close to Izamal where they were also highly esteemed by the locals. Every Sunday, the elder would hear mass in Izamal, while the younger went to Tekantó, a village near Citilcum.
The people of Izamal asked the brothers why they had separated, since they were so close, and so fond of each other. They replied that the inhabitants of the villages they had gone to needed their services. Once day, it was announced that the Virgin of Izamal would be taken to Merida because of a severe epidemic there. Thereupon the brother who was in Sitilpech went to Izamal and remained there until the Patroness of Yucatan returned.
The townspeople of Izamal asked him why he had done that, and he replied that someone had to protect the church while the Virgin was away. After a time, this brother announced to Sitilpech that he would be leaving, and asked the villagers to go to his house three days later. He also told them that the Lady of Izamal would sometime be taken to Merida again, and but that they should not leave the church unattended.
When the three days had passed, the villagers went to his house and found a large crucifix with a Black Christ. They noticed that the features and color of the image were similar to those of the brother who had been in Sitilpech, and they took the crucifix to the church.
Meanwhile, something similar happened in Citilcum. On the same day that the brother in Sitilpech said he was leaving, the younger brother announced that he too was departing. He also asked people to go to his house after three days, and asked them to remember that he had gone to mass in Tekantó every Sunday. When they went to his house, the villagers found a second Black Christ, slightly smaller than the one in Sitilpech and with the features of the younger traveller who had left them.
Soon afterwards it was learnt that the Virgin was to be taken to Merida again, and indeed several times more. Each time, the inhabitants of Sitilpech carried the Black Christ to Izamal.
The stylistic features of this revered image appear to date it to the 18th century. This carving of Christ on the Cross is unusual in that it seems to be depicting the moment of death: the form of the victim shows the looseness of a lifeless body, but the eyes are still half-open, as if the eyelids were on the point of closing. The sculpture also shows the lance wound in Jesus’ right side.
The venerated image of the Holy Christ of the Exaltation has a stylized crown of thorns, on which the three powers are represented; his garment, meanwhile, is adorned with embroidered flower patterns, similar to those of the typical Yucatecan costume. It can be seen in the church of St. Jerome in Sitilpech during times of religious services.
The Black Christ, in his invocation of the Exaltation is an image of great religious significance to the inhabitants both of Sitilpech and surrounding communities, and festivities in his honor take place each year from the 26th of August to the 14th of September. He is also celebrated every year in Izamal, for some 20 days from the 18th of October.
Sitilpech, whose literal translation according to the Cordemex Maya Dictionary is “jumping tick” from sit jump and pech a tick, is 74 kilometers (46 miles) east of Merida and 7 (4 miles) from Izamal.
Location