Los Engrillados, Atlixco, Puebla Mexico
During Holy Week in Atlixco, Puebla, Los Engrillados unfolds as a living tapestry of faith, community, and color. I wandered it with my camera The moment I arrived, the air carried a palpable sense of devotion, and centuries of tradition.
The tradition of Los Engrillados in Atlixco, Puebla, is a procession of extreme penance that has taken place every Good Friday for over 110 years. In this act of devotion, participants walk through the streets carrying heavy chains and thorns as a way of giving thanks for favors received or fulfilling religious promises.
Devotees carry iron chains that can weigh up to 90kg on their shoulders, torso, and ankles; they also use maguey thorns as a symbol of sacrifice, maguey thorns are driven into the skin of their arms and legs, and they wear a crown of thorns on their heads. Participants process with their faces covered (usually with a black hood), their torsos bare, and walk barefoot on the hot asphalt.
The procession begins at the Convent of San Francisco and covers approximately 3km through the main streets of the town. For the inhabitants of Atlixco, this practice is not seen only as a painful experience, but as a demonstration of living faith and a lifelong commitment to personal growth. It is a hereditary tradition that involves entire families, who accompany and assist the penitents during their difficult journey.
This project centers in Los Engrillados as a living museum of Atlixco Catholic heritage, where history is inscribed not only in stone but in the shared rituals that bind a community. Through a portrait of place and practice, the collection invites viewers to reflect on how Holy Week reshapes a town’s identity, season by season, photo by photo.
If these photographs speak to you, please share your thoughts or other experiences around the world durign holy week.
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