CHAPALA - Dramatic representations of the Passion of Christ—commonly referred to as the Via Crucis or Judea Viviente—will be the highpoint of Holy Week observances in the Lake Chapala area as local Roman Catholics prepare for Easter, the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.
The Pasion de Cristo program originated in 1980 as a representation of the Way of the Cross and Crucifixion aimed at preserving the centuries-old custom of using live dramatization to teach scripture in a palpable way. The concept has evolved over the years to comprise a series of episodes that span all of Semana Santa, with dialogue drawn from Gospel accounts of Christ’s last days and verses from the Romancero de la Via Dolorosa, a famed Mexican poetic work, woven into the script.
The production is a monumental undertaking that involves more than 200 volunteers who take on acting roles or assist behind the scenes with props, scenery, costumes, technical details, logistics and fundraising.
The all-amateur Pasion de Cristo actors troupe follows an intensive schedule of rehearsals and spiritual preparations than run throughout the full 40 days of Lent. While some of the performers have played the same characters for a decade or more, new players join the group every year, usually starting out in non-speaking roles such as Roman soldiers or crowd scene extras.
Production expenses are covered by donations from dozens of businesses and individuals who chip in cash or materials, as well as through benefit events such as the colorful Verbena food festival that will be held Sunday, April 5 on the town square. Local families enhance scenes played out in the town’s streets by adorning the exteriors of their homes for the traditional Palm Sunday procession and Good Friday’s march to Calvary.
The program opens with the characters of Jesus and the Disciples appearing in the Palm Sunday procession and closes with a Resurrection scene on Holy Saturday, with complementary sequences staged on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. (See a detailed schedule below.) Performances are not intended as entertainment spectacles, although the respectful attendance of non-Catholic spectators is always welcome.
The Good Friday scenes staged in the San Andres church atrium invariably draw a huge audience that starts assembling an hour or more before curtain time to squeeze into the limited seating. Spectators are advised to wear hats and light weight clothing. Those who bring parasols or umbrellas will be asked to keep the devices closed while the dramatic sequences are underway.
Similar though less elaborate Via Crucis presentations will also be held in San Antonio Tlayacapan, San Juan Cosala, Jocotepec, Mezcala and most other lakeshore communities.
Persons planning to hike along with the any of the Holy Week processions are advised to wear cool clothing, hats and sturdy walking shoes, and carry drinking water to be the heat.
Motorists can expect traffic snarls to prevail throughout the busy holiday period, intensifying along thoroughfares designated for or the crossing paths of the Semana Santa processions while those activities are in progress.
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