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A few kilometers from San Miguel de Allende is the town of Atotonilco. The small town was, together with San Miguel, declared a World Heritage Site, in 2008, by UNESCO. Atotonilco, in Nahuatl, one of the predominant indigenous languages ​​at the time of the Spanish conquest, means the place of hot water. This is due to the fact that the surrounding area has numerous underground hot water springs. Atotonilco is a quiet town, with Spanish and Mexican colonial architecture. Most of its buildings are low, one-story, and made of stone or adobe. There are also galleries displaying craft and fine art pieces. Just outside of Atotonilco, along the river, is a monastery; later a fusion hotel and restaurant.

In addition to World Heritage status, Atotonilco is home to the Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco (officially, ‘El Santuario de Dios y la Patria), better known as the Santuario de Atotonilco, a complex of chapels built in the mid-1700s, by a priest , Father Neri de Alfaro, inspired by a vision. The chapel and parish were conceived by Father Neri as a place of relevance and renewal. The chapel has a continuous flow of visitors, throughout each day.

The chapel is a few blocks from the city. Traffic beyond the chapel is low. Just before the chapel, however, is the area where the buses park, drop off passengers, and turn around to pick them up fifteen or twenty minutes later. This is a continuous process that, added to the tourists by car and taxi, keeps the chapel busy throughout the day; this, between the events of the church, since the chapel is still in operation.

The place where the buses are parked is on the side of a narrowing street. The narrow street is lined with stalls selling spiritual trinkets and books and pictures, as well as other Mexican crafts and kitsch. The most ubiquitous item was the crown of thorns, made from strips of palm fronds and wooden pegs resembling toothpicks. Made for the penitent who prefers the painless.

On the outside, the chapel itself is simple, unassuming, with other church buildings connected on either side. Inside, it is typical of churches built during the Spanish colonial period, ornate and filled with icons, paintings, murals, and statues. Because it is a working chapel, it has rows of pews. Because it is a tourist attraction, the benches are pushed back on both sides of the aisle, to allow larger groups to pass through. As with most Spanish Catholic and Baroque churches, it has side chapels honoring a saint or some aspect of the Virgin Mary. The main altar is small but spacious compared to the size of the main chapel. A statue of Jesus giving a blessing stands to one side. The side chapels are even more diminutive. There are numerous side chapels. Two are behind windows, with aspects of the Virgin on the rear walls. Both appear to be in a state of repair, rebuild, renovation, as there are workbenches, tools and paints, and workers busy with projects. Much of this is inspired by and funded through the UNESCO program. Of the other remaining chapels, one is dedicated to the crucified Jesus, another is dedicated to Mary in the form of the Virgen del Rosario, the Virgin of the Rosary. On the ceiling, represented in contrasts of different shades of brown and black and some muted colors, are the stations of the cross, the way of the cross, the last hours of Jesus, from the betrayal to the burial, painted in a baroque style, with Mexican influence. .

One of the main attractions of the Sanctuary, the reason some people come to Atotonilco in the first place, is the statue of the Lord of the Column. In this case, the column is the reference to Jesus being flogged on a post or column, as part of his punishment, on the way to being crucified. The statue is in a glass-covered box, which is nested in a space in the wall to the right. It has Jesus naked to the waist, wrapped in a short robe of white cloth, with gold brocade, leaning over the wooden post that is shaped like a gourd. There is another white cloth with brocade on top of the short pole. Jesus is almost alabaster in color, with reddish-brown paint covering his back in stripes, while other “blood” streaks appear to be dripping down his legs. His hair and beard are jet black and there are three large golden rays protruding from his head, signifying holy light, a crown of golden light, a holy aura. With a red spot on his cheek, his face turned three-quarters towards the viewer, Jesus’ expression seems to be one of pain and withdrawal.

Every year, during Holy Week, the Lord of the Column is carried in procession from the Sanctuary, along approximately 8 miles, to the Church of San Juan de Dios, in San Miguel de Allende. Where he resides until shortly after Easter. This tradition has been going on since 1800, when another of the Sanctuary’s statues was brought to San Miguel, in response to a plague, to ask for a miracle. The statue was commissioned in 1823, as part of a request for a miracle. Whether the miracle happened or not is not clear.

Beyond the miracles of the statues, if you are considering a trip to San Miguel de Allende, an excursion to Atotonilco and the Sanctuary is a nice way to spend some of your time. An excellent way to start the day, before getting to know the Sanctuary, is with a visit to the spas, baths and pools in the area, which are fed by the underground hot springs that give Atotonilco its name. The water is fresh and the bathrooms are free from the sulfur smell of other springs. Most baths open early, usually at 8am or earlier. And most bathrooms have some kind of dining area. Go to the bathroom early. Enjoy a refreshing morning in the baths, with a light meal; then take some time to see the Sanctuary, just one of many places in and around San Miguel that makes a stay there a rich cultural and sensory experience.

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