Devotion to the Lord of Miracles unites Peru with Mexico

Devotion to the Lord of Miracles, the “brown Christ” that gathers millions in the streets of Lima (Peru) during October, arrived in Mexico 23 years ago through Peruvian immigrants established in the country, and is a source of brotherhood between both nations both religiously and culturally.

The original image of the Lord of Miracles was painted around 1651 by an Angolan slave on a wall in the area known as Pachacamilla, in what was then the outskirts of Lima. The image withstood devastating earthquakes intact, motivating popular devotion. He also resisted the earthquake of October 28, 1746, the largest that has ever shaken the capital, causing that day to be established as the central date of the celebrations in his honor.

The month of October, devotees of the also known as “Lord of Tremors” wear the traditional purple habit, and it is a month dedicated especially in the Catholic Church in Peru to penance, in what is known as “Peruvian Lent.”

With the migration of Peruvians to various countries, the devotion to the Lord of Miracles has spread throughout the world.

In Mexico City, the activities for the Lord of Miracles began on September 27, with the transfer of the litter of the Brown Christ from the Chapel of the Souls to the Altar of Forgiveness, almost at the entrance of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico. It will remain there until October 18, when the image will be transferred to the High Altar.

That October 18, around noon, a Mass is scheduled to be celebrated at the High Altar. And the main Mass will take place the next day, October 19, and will be celebrated by the rector and dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico, Mons. José Antonio Carballo García.

Around 6:30 p.m. on October 19, the walk of the Lord of Miracles will return to the Altar of Forgiveness, and will remain there, symbolically welcoming the faithful who enter the Metropolitan Cathedral, until November 8.

“Pattern of Peruvian migrants”

In dialogue with ACI Prensa, the Consul General of Peru in Mexico, Carlos Rossi Covarrubias, highlighted that the celebration of the Lord of Miracles “is a way to integrate the Peruvian community anywhere in the world, not only in Mexico.”

“The Lord of Miracles is the patron saint of Peruvian migrants abroad,” he noted. “Wherever there is a Peruvian community there will always be a brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles that is organized to take out in procession the image of the Lord of Miracles, which is normally in a cathedral, in one of the main churches of the cities where the Peruvian community resides.”

“The Lord of Miracles is an expression of faith, a cultural expression and of our country’s own history,” he added, highlighting that “a country like Mexico, also subject to natural disasters and with a high Catholic faith, of course will house our brown Christ, who is precisely the Lord of Tremors.”

It is estimated, indicated the consul, that some 15,000 Peruvians are established in Mexico, and approximately half of them live in Mexico City, although there are important communities in other large cities such as Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Peruvian Creole Mass

The Eucharistic celebration on October 19 will have a very special detail. The Peruvian consul highlighted that it will be a “Creole Mass, with Peruvian folk music.”

“In the same Mass we are already making our culture known through these songs, interpretations made by Peruvian musicians who live here in Mexico,” he highlighted.

After the Eucharist, a procession will take place in which the Lord of Miracles’ walk will be carried by porters, while Peruvian music rhythms will also be heard. Then there will be a gathering in a special patio within the cathedral facilities.

Around 200 people are expected to participate in the celebration, the consul indicated, but noted that “the doors are open to everyone.”

A devotion that passes from parents to children

“We have many young people, some already in their 20s, some teenagers, even children, who participate with us, they come with their parents,” said the consul.

This is the case of Andrea Salazar, who this year assumes stewardship of the religious celebration with her family, taking over from the offer made more than a decade ago by her father.

Andrea describes herself as “a Mexican with a Peruvian heart.” Daughter of Peruvian parents, she was born in Mexico 31 years ago. In 2013, his father, Óscar Salazar, proclaimed himself mayordomo for 2025, but he died in 2015.

“We as a family, my brothers and I, decided to take on this responsibility that my father took in honor of the faith and affection that the Lord of Miracles had for him and that he instilled in us since we were little,” he recalled.

“I have memories from when I was little going to the processions, always accompanying him,” she added.

For Andrea, it was something that marked her life to see her father “carrying the Lord of Miracles (…) always with great devotion and great emotion.”

Procession in the heart of the capital of Mexico

The general foreman of the Mexican group of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles, José Islas, indicated that, after the Mass on October 19, there will be a procession with the image of the Brown Christ, which will leave through the Jubilee Door “and we will surround the cathedral to the Chapel of Ánimas.”

Throughout the more than two decades in Mexico, the procession has been a constant in the lives of the devotees of the Lord of Miracles, although, José acknowledges, “we had some years due to the pandemic that we did not carry out the procession.”

In addition, remember that between 2010 and 2015 the central celebration of the Lord of Miracles brought together more than 2,000 people, in an event that also brought together Peruvian culinary traditions, such as anticuchos and turrones.

In recent times, a more discreet celebration was chosen, with the center being the Mass and the procession of the Lord of Miracles.