Santo Niño de Atocha
Encyclopedia
Child Jesus
The Child Jesus represents Jesus from his Nativity to age 12. At 13 he was considered to be adult, in accordance with the Jewish custom of his time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries.The Child Jesus is frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century...
and is popular in the Hispanic cultures of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, 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...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, especially New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
History
During the 13th Century, Spain was under the UmayyadUmayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
s. The town of Atocha was lost to the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
invaders, and the Christians there were taken prisoners. The Christians were placed on strict punishments and prohibitions, and the devout prisoners were denied food by their captors. Eventually, only children under the age of 12 were permitted to bring them food. The women of Atocha knew that most of the people in the jails could not survive under such conditions. They were praying before the statue of Our Lady of Atocha, they pleaded for the Blessed Virgin Mary to ask her son Jesus Christ for help.
Reports began to spread among the people of Atocha that a child under the age of twelve had begun to bring food to childless prisoners. The child was dressed in pilgrim's clothing.
When the women of Atocha heard of the miraculous Child, they returned to Our Lady of Atocha and thanked the Virgin for her intercession. Looking upon the image of the Madonna, they noticed that the shoes worn by the Infant Jesus held by Our Lady of Atocha were tattered and dusty. The shoes were replaced but were soiled once again. The people of Atocha saw this as a sign that the Infant Jesus went out every night to help those in need. It is said that he does many miracles, especially to children.
Devotion beyond Atocha
The Moorish conflict extended well beyond the town of Atocha. During dire points in their journey, travelers reported that a young boy, dressed as a pilgrim, would come to them bringing food and other necessities. The boy would often travel with them until they were out of danger and then guide them to the safest roads to reach their destination. The miraculous Child was always considered to be the Infant Christ and was given the title the Holy Child Of Atocha.The Holy Child Of Atocha was also said to have saved miners who were trapped in a mine shaft. He does many miracles and millions believe in him all over the world.
Mexico
Fresnillo
Fresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
. They named the land where Fresnillo
Fresnillo
Fresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
was located the state of Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
because it was abundant in grass. While a town was being built in Fresnillo
Fresnillo
Fresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
some miners were out near the lake when a mule came from the west. The mule carried a giant wooden crate on its back. The miners decided to take the crate off the mule for a little while so it could rest and drink water. However, once the miners removed the crate the mule ran away leaving the miners the wooden crate. When the miners opened the crate they were shocked to find a silver crucified Christ (called a "Corpus") with no cross. The general ordered a church be built across the valley and named the city Plateros, (the Spanish word for silver is "plata") because the location was where the silver Christ was discovered. The general then ordered an image of Our Lady of Atocha to be brought from Spain to Plateros. The image was put in the church of Saint Augustine along with the silver Christ.
In those years silver was discovered in Fresnillo
Fresnillo
Fresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
and mines were being opened in the mountains near the settlement. Within a few weeks of the opening of the mine of Fresnillo
Fresnillo
Fresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
, there was an explosion and many miners were trapped. The wives of the miners went to the church of St. Augustine to pray for their husbands and noticed that the child on the image of Our Lady of Atocha was missing. At the same time, it was said that a child came to the trapped miners, gave them water and showed them the way out of the mine. Whenever there was a problem at the mine the child helped the miners in need. Each time this happened, the image of the child on the Virgin's arms was found to be dirty and his clothes had little holes in them. After that the Holy Child was taken off his mother's arms and put on a glass box for everyone to see. The Holy Child of Atocha has become a symbol of Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
and the protector of miners. Many make pilgrimages to Plateros at Christmas to bring toys to the Holy Child.
Appearance
The Holy Child of Atocha is depicted dressed as a boy pilgrim. He wears a hat and a very ornate cloak and holds a basket full of bread in one hand and a pilgrim's staff in the other. In art, the Holy Child's basket is sometimes shown empty, giving the impression that he has been out serving the needy; however, reports given by those who saw the Holy Child claim that his basket never ran out of flowers. Also, his pilgrim's staff is often depicted with a water gourd fastened to it.In later years, a shell pattern called the Shell of Saint James was pictured on the cape on his outfit. This identifies the Saint Atocha with northern Spain the destination of many who fled from the Moors, because the St. James Shell is a symbol of the pilgrims to the Shrine of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
Pop Culture and Other References
In the film Napoleon DynamiteNapoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca....
, Pedro suggests placing santos
Santo (art)
Santo is a traditional New Mexican genre of religious sculpture. The word "santo" is also used to refer to individual works in this genre...
around the hallways of his high school, recommending El Santo Niño de Atocha. He say that his Aunt Concha has seen him.
Santo Niño de Atocha is sometimes associated with the Yoruba orisha Eshu
Eshu
Èṣù is both an orisha and one of the most well-known deities of the Yoruba mythology and its related New World traditions.He has a wide range of responsibilities: the protector of travelers, deity of roads, particularly...
, or Elegua.
This Santo appears in the 1991 Novel Mojo and the Pickle Jar, by Douglas Bell.
In Michael Jackson's video for "Beat It" there is a picture of the Santo Niño above his bed.
On the popular television sitcom "George Lopez" the Santo Niño de Atocha is displayed in the family's kitchen.
In the film, "Talladega Nights, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby", (2006), Ricky Bobby played by Will Ferrell explains his devotion to the Child Jesus and prays to him.
- Child JesusChild JesusThe Child Jesus represents Jesus from his Nativity to age 12. At 13 he was considered to be adult, in accordance with the Jewish custom of his time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries.The Child Jesus is frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century...
- Infant Jesus of PragueInfant Jesus of PragueInfant Jesus of Prague is a famous statue of infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague.- History :Its earliest history can be traced back to Prague in the year 1628 when the small, 19-inch high, wax statue of the Infant Jesus was given by Princess Polyxena...
- Divine Infant Jesus
- Santo Niño de CebuSanto Niño de CebuThe Santo Niño de Cebú is a Roman Catholic figure of the Child Jesus highly similar to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Like the image's counterpart in Prague, the figure is clothed in expensive textile robes mostly donations from fervent devotees in the Philippines and abroad...
- Madonna and Child
- Holy PrepuceHoly PrepuceThe Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin is one of several relics attributed to Jesus, a product of the circumcision of Jesus....
- Holy Umbilical CordHoly Umbilical CordThe Holy Umbilical Cord is a first class Catholic relic of Christ. Christian teaching generally states that Christ was assumed into heaven corporeally...
- Infancy Gospels
- Holy Infant of Good HealthHoly Infant of Good HealthThe Holy Infant of Good Health is a statue of the Christ Child regarded by many to be miraculous, which was found in 1939, in Morelia , Mexico. The statue is eleven inches tall and has apparently been responsible for many healings. The veneration of the statue was approved by Luis M. Altamirano y...
- Niño of Mexico
External links
- http://www.ninoatocha.com/
- http://atcc-torcc.org/ninoatocha.htm
http://www.fatherbill.org/gallery.php?action=viewPicture&id=146
- Icon of El Santo Niño de Atocha http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/atocha.html by American Roman Catholic priest Fr. McNichols
- Le Petit Ecolier image on French LU cookies closely resembles the child pilgrim
- Santo Niño Online- A blog connecting Santo Niño devotees worldwide
