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Chalma is a small community, which is part of the municipality of Malinalco, Mexico State. Its small population is almost completely dedicated to the pilgrims who come to visit the Sanctuary of Chalma, the second most-important pilgrimage site in Mexico. The sanctuary is dedicated to an image of what many people describe as a "black Christ" on a cross that legend says miraculously appeared in an area cave where the worship of a deity commonly known as Oxtoteotl used to take place. Actually, Oxtoteotl is an aspect of Tezcatlipoca, the "Smoking Mirror," and the "black Christ" is really Tezcatlipoca, which the Spanish friars superimposed on the existing representation of Tezcatlipoca in order to convert the natives. Pilgrimages to this Christian sanctuary follow many of the patterns of the prehispanic rituals, including walking the narrow paths to the town itself, bathing in the waters of a special fresh-water spring and dancing at the sanctuary. ==Appearance of the Christ Image== Prior to the Conquest, the small caves in the Chalma area were thought to be holy, and all caves came under Tezcatlipoca, the "Smoking Mirror," the representative of the Mexica night. The aspect of Tezcatlipoca associated with caves was Oxtoteotl (also: Ostocteotl, Ostoteotl, Ostoctheotl) which has been translated as “the Dark Lord of the Cave,“ though there is little agreement on how to translate this term.〔 Francisco de Florencia, in his 1689 chronicle of the place (the earliest written source available on the subject) suggested the name Ostoc Teotl, but also said that his indigenous sources were unsure of the identity of the deity.〔 Francisco de Florencia, Descripcion Historical, y Moral del yermo de San Miguel, de las cvevas en el Reyno de la Nueva-Efpaña, y invencion de la milagrofa Imagen de Chrifto nueftro Señor Crucificado, que fe venera en ellas(Cadiz: Imprenta de la Compañia de Iefus, 1689)〕 In one of the caves, it was said to be a large, man-sized, black, cylindrical idol of Oxtoteotl with reputed magical and healing powers. Oxtoteotl was a god of human destiny or of night, sometimes appearing as a jaguar or with the god of war, depending on different oral traditions.〔 Those who made pilgrimage to the deity walked for days in the surrounding mountains, wearing flowers and carrying incense burners.〔 After arriving to the site, they bathed in the nearby river fed by a sacred spring and drank holy water before entering the cave.〔 There were also signs that worship of this deity included human sacrifice.〔〔Francisco de Florencia, Descripcion Historica, y Moral del yermo de San Miguel, de las cvevas en el Reyno de la Nueva-Efpaña, y invencion de la milagrofa Imagen de Chrifto nueftro Señor Crucificado, que fe venera en ellas (Cadiz: Imprenta de la Compañia de Iefus, 1689), 5 ; Juan de Grijalva, Crónica de la Orden de NPS Agustín en las provincias de la Nueva España: en cuatro edades desde el año de 1533 hasta el de 1592 (Mexico City: Editorial Porrúa, 1985).〕 In approximately 1537,〔Francisco de Florencia〕 Augustinians, including Brothers Sebastian de Tolentino and Nicolas Perea came to evangelize the Malinalco region of which Chalma is part.〔 From there, the story has a number of versions. Most state that after learning about and perhaps seeing the rites associated with the worship of Oxtoteotl, Tolentino and Perea worked to evangelize here, urging the local people to destroy the idol. Then, three days later, the friars returned to destroy the idol themselves, but instead found a life-sized image of a crucified Christ in the space that the idol, which was found in pieces on the ground, previously occupied.〔〔 Upon seeing the image, the indigenous people are said to have fallen down in “apostolic piety,” which allowed for the conversion of the people of this area.〔 A less-popular version of the story states that a muleteer was looking for one of his animals when he found the Black Christ in one of the caves.〔Esquibel y Vargas, Agustin Francisco. El Fenix de el Amor: Mexico: Imprenta de la Bibliotheca Mexicana, 1764.()〕 The cave in which the Christ image was found became a very popular Christian pilgrimage site starting from the 16th century. Eventually, the cave entrance was enlarged and a shrine dedicated to St. Michael was added. The image remained in the cave for 143 years, but in 1683 it was brought to a church on the canyon floor below the cave, specially consecrated for its worship.〔 At many indigenous shrines in Mexico, the previous sacred images were replaced with Christian ones, occasionally made of a corn paste called “tatzingueni” using a technique developed by Vasco de Quiroga, and a number of these figures still exist.〔 After the supposed appearance of the Black Christ figure, the Augustinian friars proclaimed a miracle had occurred in the cave, word of which spread and even included the idea that the area had been freed of predatory animals.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chalma, Malinalco」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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