The captive child: devotion to kidnapped and addicts in Mexico

Stolen and kidnapped by pirates for years, the captive child has become a symbol of hope for those who have suffered the deprivation of their liberty or fight against addictions. His image, venerated in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, keeps a history marked by faith and resilience.

In one of the side chapels of the temple is this wooden sculpture, which holds wives. The origin of the image dates back to the time of New Spain. According to ACI Press Alfredo Martínez, in charge of Public Relations of the Cathedral, the image belonged to the Spanish Francisco Sandoval de Zapata, who in 1622 was appointed Racionero of the enclosure.

During his trip to New Spain, his ship was intercepted by British pirates, who took him prisoner and demanded a ransom equivalent to his weight. The necessary sum took several years to meet, allowing not only the liberation of Sandoval, but also from other captives.

The rescue was completed around 1629, although, unfortunately, Sandoval had already died. However, Martínez pointed out that the pirates returned the image of the Child Jesus, which began to enjoy great notoriety in New Spain. In that context, and due to religious rivalry between Catholics and Protestants, the idea that the “British Protestants kidnapped the child God was disseminated; Therefore, New Spain rescues the child God. ”

According to Martínez, it was in the Metropolitan Cathedral where sculpture acquired its current identity. Although in its origins it was known as the image of the child God, when arriving in Mexico it began to be known as the captive child, a title that symbolizes its liberation history. To reinforce this symbolism, “you add wives of that handmade time, especially manufactured to your measure, in silver.”

Devotion of captives

Martínez said that from the viceroyalty, families went to the image to ask for the health or well -being of their sick or problematic children. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, devotion has expanded and is now asked for “any dependence or codependence that is considered a spiritual or material captivity.”

As a sample of thanks, a toy is continued, a tradition that endures to date. According to Martínez, this gesture responds to the idea that he is a child who “is in a chapel where there are only adults. What do you have to have fun? With toys ”.

The captive child, refuge against kidnapping and addictions

Martínez stressed that many devotees of the captive child have been victims of kidnapping, a crime that has been increasing in recent years. According to Figures From the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, between 2018 and 2024, during the sexennium of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 5,852 cases of kidnapping were recorded in Mexico.

Also, another problem of the time is alcoholism. According to the information Provided by the Government of Mexico on the demand for attention, alcohol consumption begins at an early age, between 15 and 17 years.

In the general population, consumption usually begins on average at 17.9 years, and evidence shows that an excessive and episodic consumption pattern predominates. “This shows that the young population faces, from an early age, various health risks related to the harmful consumption of alcohol,” Martínez said.

As Jesús Bobadilla points out, a psychologist at an addiction center in the State of Mexico, in an interview with ACI Press, “the boys have to look for meaning and meaning in their life, something that motivates them to move on.” According to Bobadilla, “spirituality helps a lot to find that ‘why’ and ‘for what’, especially in the difficult conditions they face, which often come from losses.”

In addition, Martínez invites all those who face problems, such as “having a kidnapped child or extracted from his house, children with problems following divorce or separation of their parents, sick children, or even children who, unfortunately, at that age and They begin to fall into the scourge of drugs ”, to approach the captive child.