By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS    

Talk about a cast of thousands! That’s what you can expect when you attend the annual passion play performance in Mexico City’s eastern Iztapalapa municipality this Easter week.

The yearly reenactment of Jesus Christ’s last supper, betrayal and procession of the 12 Stations of the Cross, is a neighborhood affair that incorporates the performances of more than 3,000 nonprofessional actors ardently portraying Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, the apostles and the Nazarenes.

Although the annual passion play was essentially suspended during the covid-19 pandemic, it is back this year in all its glory, albeit with strict sanitary restrictions.

For two straight days – Maundy Thursday, April 14, and Good Friday, April 15 – the entire borough is transformed into a mockup set of Jerusalem as it might have looked 2,000 years ago.

Considered to be one of the nation’s largest and most important religious processions, the performance – involving virtually every able body in the Iztapalapa community – has become a major national and international tourist attraction, pulling crowds of nearly 2 million people each year.

Although the annual Vía Crucis, as the Passion play is called in Mexico, takes place in more than 340 cities throughout the nation, the Iztapalapa ornately staged spectacle is unique in its devoted performance – perhaps because of its tragic origin – and its highly embellished costumes and props.

According to representatives from the municipality’s press office, the traditional passion play presentation in Iztapalapa began in 1833, after a major cholera epidemic killed off most of the neighborhood’s population. The survivors of the pandemic decided to express their appreciation to Nuestro Señor de la Cuevita (Our Lord of the Little Cave), who they believed had spared their lives.

That heartfelt thanks, they believed, could best be demonstrated with a reenactment of the last days of Christ as part of their usual Easter Week observances.

The first Vía Crucis in Iztapalapa was, in fact, quite modest, with only a few key actors and no props or costumes. But over the years, more and more members of the community became involved in the annual procession, and eventually it became a full-fledged extravaganza, replete with sophisticated sets, period-style wardrobes and whole teams of horses and carts, with preparations beginning months in advance.

Today, an organizing committee composed of Iztapalapa community leaders is in charge of selecting the actors for the starring roles based on their physical attributes and acting abilities, as well as their personal conduct and church attendance.

A THREE-KILOMETER TREK

The procession begins in front of the borough’s cathedral, with aspirant
Nazarenes dressed in crowns of thorns and purple tunics carrying crosses.

The Nazarenes are followed by the designated Christ, carrying a much larger wooden cross.

The main ceremony then moves into Iztapalapa’s main plaza, where Christ is brought to trial and sentenced to death by Pilate. This is when the most arduous part of the procession begins, as the hero winds his way through three kilometers of Iztapalapa’s cobblestone streets up to the Cerro de la Estrella hilltop, where his tragic verdict is symbolically carried out.

The entire spectacular takes about five hours, and is open to the public free of charge. There will be stands selling Mexican antojitos and other snack foods, as well as traditional Mexican handicrafts located near the main plaza.