Lima's Lord of Miracles

Imagine a dark-skinned Christ, painted on a wall by an Angolan
slave during the Spanish Viceroyalty. Imagine a wooden platform
covered with silver and gold, weighting over a ton. Imagine a
procession of hundreds of thousands of devotees, all dressed in
purple habits. If you can, you\'ve probably been in Lima during
October, the mystical month. That\'s when the city\'s patron, the
Seor de los Milagros -or Lord of Miracles-, is
celebrated. The largest procession in the whole South America,
it congregates devotees from all over the country.

The origins of the Lord of Miracles date back to the mid XVII
century (probably between 1650 and 1651), during the Spanish
Viceroyalty. An anonymous Angolan slave painted a dark-skinned
Christ on the wall of a humble plot in the Pachacamilla ranch,
near Lima. At the time a non-white Christ was considered
heretic, but notwithstanding the furious attempts by the Spanish
ecclesiastical hierarchy to erase it, the image resisted. The
devotion for the image boosted in 1655, when a massive
earthquake demolished every building in the proximities, but not
that wall.

During the whole month of October, known as the mes
morado -or purple month, due to the Patron\'s colours- minor
observations are celebrated. The main event though, a colossal
procession, is reserved for the 18th. Hundreds of thousands of
devotees, wearing their purple habits, sing and pray while
accompanying the image on its 24-hour route from the Nazarenas
temple to La Merced church, in the historic yet weary Barrios
Altos district.

The wooden portable platform that holds the image is completely
covered with silver and gold, and weights more than a ton. It is
carried out on shoulders by groups of loaders, organized in
cuadrillas (teams) according to shoulder size and height.
Nowadays there are 20 cuadrillas, such as the
\Pachacamilla Christ Brotherhood\ or the \Loaders of the
Canopy\. During the first procession, some 300 years ago, only
eight loaders were needed to hold the platform; today, more than
thirty strong men are needed.

Traditional sweets and food can be purchased from vendors along
the path of the procession, in particular the Turrn de Doa
Pepa, a soft nougat candy made almost only during October.

Bullfighting Season

During October and November, the Seor de los Milagros
bullfighting season takes place in Lima\'s Plaza de Acho (1768),
one of the oldest bullrings in the Americas. Known as the
Feria Taurina del Seor de los Milagros, it gathers the
most prestigious bullfighters of America and Spain, who compete
for the Escapulario de Oro (golden scapular).

This year the traditional bullfighting season celebrates its
60th anniversary, and celebrates it with eight dates: four
bullfights, one rejoneo (bullfights from horse-back), two
novilladas (bullfights with young bulls), and a gala
festival. Some 10 renowned matadors will participate, including
Julin Lpez \El Juli\, Enrique Ponce, Luis Francisco Espl, and
Finito de Crdoba.