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All Mexico Reyes Etla Santuario del Señor de las Peñas
AO Edited

Santuario del Señor de las Peñas

This small church is surrounded by a landscape filled with hidden Zapotec ruins.

Reyes Etla, Mexico

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linkogecko
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The hills surrounding the Sanctuary hide archaeological wealth   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Interior of the Sanctuary   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Path connecting the Sanctuary and nearby communities   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
Sign marking the area of the Sanctuary as an archaeological site   linkogecko / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This small Catholic church is located amid farmland near the communities of Reyes Etla and Villa de Etla in Oaxaca. It houses an effigy of Christ that is highly venerated by the locals, specially on its feast day during Lent. Known as both "El Señor de las Peñas" (the Lord of Rocks) or "Señor de las Peñitas" (the Lord of Little Rocks), its feast is one of the most popular in the state.

What sets this sanctuary apart from similar temples in Oaxaca is that, despite being located in a flat valley, it is surrounded by a few vegetation-covered mounds. But these are not natural hills—they are actually un-excavated Zapotec ruins, now completely buried and overgrown. It is believed that these people regarded the location as sacred due to a fossilized human footprint, attributed to one of the first humans to have existed following the Zapotec creation myth.

Not coincidentally, modern-day veneration of the Lord of Rocks is tied to a similar footprint, said to have been made by the effigy itself. Although the original Jesus figure was stolen from this sanctuary, a replica is now housed in it and its veneration continues. A plaque near this church states that its construction dates to 1636, which would showcase a continuum of belief in the area from the original Zapotec population, through the Spanish Colonial period and to the present day.

Related Tags

Churches Christianity Catholic Ruins Pre Columbian Archaeology Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

The feast in honor of the Lord of Little Rocks is celebrated yearly on the fifth Friday of Lent.

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linkogecko

Published

April 5, 2021

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Sources
  • https://www.mexicotravelclub.com/senor-de-las-penitas-en-etla-oaxaca
  • https://www.nvinoticias.com/nota/55646/rivaliza-el-senor-de-las-penas-con-festividades
  • https://imparcialoaxaca.mx/oaxaca/334848/el-olvido-sepulta-tesoros-de-etla/
Santuario del Señor de las Peñas
110 Calle Lázaro Cárdenas
Reyes Etla
Mexico
17.197416, -96.813054
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

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Places 596
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Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (Arts Center of San Agustín)

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico

Mexico

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