La Piedra Del Señor

A catholic and representative place that keeps the history of the Municipality of San Andrés Huaxpaltepec

Tourists and visitors are accustomed to worshiping the Piedra del Señor, a huge rock that is located on top of the hill called Yuku Tityi, which in Mixteco means Cerro de la Iguana, located about 5 kilometers north of San Andrés Huaxpaltepec. At the top there are multiple crosses and candles, as well as a series of food and drink offerings that believers deposit as tokens of appreciation for the favors received. They say that in the 16th century, the Mixtec indigenous people refused to leave their traditional rituals to accept the Catholic faith. The Spaniards, in the process of evangelization, left here the figure of a black Christ, carved in wood, was found by Mixtec indigenous people from the neighboring town of Huazolotitlán, who at that time are hunting iguanas, but they say that it became heavy and they should have left it in Huaxpaltepec, due to this, the neighboring town of Huazolotitlán claimed the image. Villagers from Huaxpaltepec mention that "they took her there, but the Christ decided to return to Huaxpaltepec" (there was a dispute between the indigenous people, ultimately staying in the town of Huaxpaltepec). Although they know that he was left for the purpose of making an appearance believe, they adopted him as one of his deities, awarding him all kinds of miracles. It was the Tatamandones who decided to build the church where Christ is worshiped, in addition to the Fourth Friday, August 6, which is the date of their discovery. It is because of this that the religious celebration of Holy Week is not under the responsibility of a priest, but of the tatamandones, elders who have already provided various services to the community and who are the highest authority of the people. That is why the image of the Christ is called Tata, Tata Chú, as a way of professing respect for him. The greattamandons, their ancestors claim, worshiped Savi, God of Rain and Wine, went to the rock to celebrate rituals and asked for rain for their harvests. The same custom is practiced today, in this stone, the wind is strong. Since the 16th century, Huaxpaltepec has been one of the towns that has preserved this mix between pre-Hispanic and religiosity brought by the Spanish.