THE IMAGE
OF CHRIST THAT CAME BY MULE
(Legend of
Saltillo, Coahuila)
There are some religious figures
that are very highly venerated, due to the long centuries of preceding history
surrounding them. In many cases, there is a long line of miracles associated
with them, and these, over the years, have become legends. Such is the case of
the image of Our Lord (The Holy Christ) at The Chapel, Saltillo. The events
related here took place on August 6, 1607, according to some written testimonies
of the time.
Legend has it that in the
afternoon of that far-off day, a mule, bearing a heavy load on its back,
suddenly arrived in town. The mule was quite alone, without a carrier, and it settled
down to rest at a place not far from the church of Saint Esteban, exactly where
the present-day Cathedral is located. Those who saw it arrive assumed that its
owner would no doubt turn up a little later; but the rest of that day came and
went, and, by the next morning, the mule was still resting, quietly and alone,
at exactly the same spot.
Some people started to try to
get the mule to move on; but try as they might, the animal stoutly refused to
move. Then, the rumor started to spread throughout the village and, in just a
few minutes, the entire population had gathered around the beast. No one had ever
seen it before, and, therefore, they had no idea who its owner might be.
While they were deeply engaged
in discussion about this phenomenon, the local priest appeared. After
meditating a little on the situation, he finally ordered some of the men to unload
the box from the beast's back and to open it up, so they could find out what
was inside. When the men had finished their task, the mule got up and ran away towards
the South at top speed; it was never seen again and nobody ever found out where
it had gone to.
When the villagers opened the box,
they realized, to their utmost astonishment, that there, inside, was a
beautiful image of Jesus Christ, apparently made of dried corn dough. At his
feet, there was a small wooden box that contained a single splinter of wood. Because
it was the rainy season, they tried to take the figure out of the box,
intending to keep it safe in the temple of Saint Esteban, all the time
expecting that, sooner or later, its unknown owner would appear to claim the
statue.
However, not even the repeated
efforts of several strong men, all hauling together, were enough to lift the
image out of the box to take it inside the temple. After some serious thought,
the priest ordered that a small shelter be built then and there, on that very
spot; this was later replaced by a church – the future Saltillo Cathedral. Time
passed by, and nobody ever came to claim the image as his own; the local people,
however, took it to be a divine manifestation.
There was one other factor that conduced
devotees to worship the image with so much fervor: the numerous miracles
attributed to it by the sick and needy who make their pilgrimages to the
figure, to beg for its aid. It is said that part of its divine and healing
power comes from the wooden splinter inside the small wooden box, because,
according to local beliefs, it was taken from the Holy Cross on the very day of
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Legend taken from the book by Homero
Adame, “Myths and legends from all over Mexico” (Mitos y leyendas de todo México). Editorial Trillas. 2011. Translated by
Pat Grounds.
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