Otatitlán
Encyclopedia
Otatitlán is a city in the state of Veracruz
, Mexico
.
It stands at 18°11′N 96°02′W, just across the state border from Tuxtepec, Oaxaca
.
The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name.
In the year 2000 census, Otatitlán municipality reported a total population of 5,236, with 4,554 of those living in the city. The municipality's covers a total surface area of 53.46 km², and it is drained by the Río Obispo, a tributary of the Río Papaloapan.
Otatitlán is also referred to as "Santuario". It is famous for its church, which is home to el Cristo Negro – one of three black Christ images that exist in Mexico.
A banana chip factory is also located there.
Tradition states that the blackened image, representing the figure of Christ Crucified
, was washed up, on a raft, along the town's riverport dock in 1597. It was embraced by the local converts to Roman Catholicism as a replacement for the local god Yacatecutli, a commerce deity who was also traditionally depicted with black skin. Over the ensuing years, the town became a pilgrimage site.
In 1931, during the Cristero War
between the secular
state and Catholic rebels, the image was stolen and taken to the nearby village of San Antonio. There, anti-clerical forces under orders from Veracruz Governor Adalberto Tejada tried to set fire to it, but it refused to catch;
the desecrators had to be satisfied with decapitating it. After recuperating their profaned icon, the townsfolk carved a new head for it. In 1950, the original head was recovered and put back in place; the replacement was also put in a display case in a place of honour in the sanctuary.
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
It stands at 18°11′N 96°02′W, just across the state border from Tuxtepec, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
.
The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name.
In the year 2000 census, Otatitlán municipality reported a total population of 5,236, with 4,554 of those living in the city. The municipality's covers a total surface area of 53.46 km², and it is drained by the Río Obispo, a tributary of the Río Papaloapan.
Otatitlán is also referred to as "Santuario". It is famous for its church, which is home to el Cristo Negro – one of three black Christ images that exist in Mexico.
A banana chip factory is also located there.
El Cristo Negro
The "Black Christ" of Otatitlán is a sacred relic, the focus of ritual worship among Mexico's Roman Catholics.Tradition states that the blackened image, representing the figure of Christ Crucified
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, was washed up, on a raft, along the town's riverport dock in 1597. It was embraced by the local converts to Roman Catholicism as a replacement for the local god Yacatecutli, a commerce deity who was also traditionally depicted with black skin. Over the ensuing years, the town became a pilgrimage site.
In 1931, during the Cristero War
Cristero War
The Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 was an uprising and counter-revolution against the Mexican government in power at that time. The rebellion was set off by the strict enforcement of the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the expansion of further anti-clerical laws...
between the secular
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
state and Catholic rebels, the image was stolen and taken to the nearby village of San Antonio. There, anti-clerical forces under orders from Veracruz Governor Adalberto Tejada tried to set fire to it, but it refused to catch;
the desecrators had to be satisfied with decapitating it. After recuperating their profaned icon, the townsfolk carved a new head for it. In 1950, the original head was recovered and put back in place; the replacement was also put in a display case in a place of honour in the sanctuary.