Petatlan

The city is best known as the home of the Sanctuary of the Padre Jesús de Petatlán. The image is of Christ during one of the times he fell while carrying the Cross. The image dates to the 17th century. This image has been accredited with many miracles, with devotees referring to it as “Tata Chuy” or “Papa Chuy.” (Tata means grandfather, and Papa means dad. Chuy is a common diminutive for Jesús.)[2][3][4] The image is housed in a large white church with very large wooden doors, whose official name is Santuario Nacional del Santo Señor de Petatlán. Just outside the atrium, vendors selling gold and religious items congregate.[4] It is a regional pilgrimage site, which is particularly visited during Holy Week, when as many as 30,000 people come into the city.[3] During this week, the city holds a fair, called Fexpo, but the highlight of the week is a Passion Play in which 60 area residents are chosen to play Jesus and the other principal characters. The Play begins at the sanctuary, and then proceeds along a five-kilometer path, reenacting theStations of the Cross, on the way to a hill in the Colonia Benito Juarez neighborhood, which simulates Calvary