El Señor de Milagros, or the Lord of Miracles, is a venerated image of Christ, apinted by an Angolan slave, which has been attributed to protecting the city of Lima from earthquakes for several centuries as well as curing worshippers of various ailments. During an earthquake in 1655 nearly the entire city of Lima was destroyed, but still standing was the image and the adobe wall it hung on in the Pachacamilla neighborhood. On select days every October, El Mes Morada (the purple month), the image is carried from its resting place in Las Nazarenas church around the center of Lima as tens of thousands of purple clad followers watch and pray. It’s the largest Catholic procession in the Americas and one of my favorite spectacles to occur in the city (outside of Mistura, of course). It was El Señor de Milagros that cured a mulatto woman, Josefa Marmanillo, of paralysis and then saints appeared in her dreams giving her the recipe of a honey covered layered nougat topped with multicolored candies that she then handed out to Lima’s poor. The treat is called Turrón de Doña Pepa a very traditional Limeña snack that is still passed out during the procession and eaten throughout the month. It’s sold in sealed packages for just a few soles ($1-2) as well as bakeries where it is dished out like a piece of cake.
Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
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