Cristo Rey

One can get one's bearings in Guanajuato by looking up to the tallest mountain in the area, el Cerro de Cubilete, and the towering statue of Christ that looks out over the broad valley of the Bajío. The 20-meter tall bronze statue, erected in 1950, stands on a globe flanked by two cherubs, one holding a crown of thorns, the other a crown of victory. It is on the highest peak in the area, and it is rumored to be the geographical center of México. A Catholic bishop envisioned the statue in the early 1900s as a way to ensure peace and to foster faith here in the heart of México. (There is chisme - gossip - about where the statue's gaze is directed, according to which city gave more money to the project.) The statue is second only to the one in Rio de Janeiro as the world's largest image of Christ. The site, up a long, winding, climbing road, draws many pilgrims, sometimes thousands at a time, though the afternoon of our visit was quiet. Recently, a man (wearing a white cowboy hat, a snap shirt, and Wrangler jeans) told me about his annual trip to Cristo Rey on horseback. In the first week of January, during the days that honor the three kings of the Nativity story, thousands of horsemen from around México convene to make a trek up the mountain to Cristo Rey. The tradition celebrates their charro (cowboy) heritage, and demonstrates their devotion to God.