Good Friday in Santa María la Ribera

After everything had calmed down following the Friday morning earthquake, Alejandro wanted to show me the typical observance of Good Friday in Mexico..."la via crucis" (the Way of the Cross).  In some churches the worshipers simply go around to each of the stations of the cross on the walls within the church.  But other churches will have a procession in which the parishioners march down the streets to stations that have been set up throughout the neighborhood.

Alejandro thought that the traditional neighborhood of Santa María la Ribera might be a good place to see "la vía crucis".  We drove to Santa María (the traffic was unbelievably light), and when we arrived in the neighborhood, Alejandro asked people where the nearest church was located.  We were very lucky, and our timing was perfect.  The church to which we were directed turned out to be a perfect choice for viewing the Good Friday observance.  When we arrived the procession was due to return very soon.

The exterior of the church was not especially noteworthy, but the interior was quite lovely, particularly the ceiling.  Following Mexican custom, all of the altars and images were covered for Lent.

 We went outside, positioned ourselves across the street, and awaited the return of the procession.  There was a stage set up in front of the church.  This was a "vía crucis" in which the stations of the cross were being reenacted.

                                   Soon the procession was coming down the street.

                      

                       Following Jesus were the thieves who were crucified beside him.

The actors mounted the stage in front of the church.  The Roman soldiers tied (not nailed) the three condemned men to crosses which were then propped up against the painted backdrop hanging from the wall of the church 

The entire Biblical account of the crucifixion was reinacted.  Some people in the audience were visibly weeping throughout the ceremony.