“LORD OF THE ENCINO” OF YAHUALICA OF GONZÁLEZ GALLO JALISCO MEXICO
Yahualica of Gonzalez Gallo is a town in the upper southern region of the state of Jalisco where the image of the Lord of Encino (Encino is an oak tree) is venerated.
The Lord of the Encino is an image of Jesus Christ crucified who was discovered by the discovery of a Native peasant of a ranch called Ocotes of Moya belonging to the town of Yahualica. Legend tells that the peasant was an alcoholic, he abused his wife recurrently and every Sunday he had the habit of going to the town of Yahualica to get drunk, contract the music band and walked the main streets of the town screaming with enthusiasm: " Long live the mother of God! " "Long live the mother of God! ". After wasting his money he returned to the ranch Ocotes of Moya on his horse. Necessarily by its way it passed under a burly tree of Encino (oak tree). Always when he was passing one of the branches his hat was overthrown to the ground, after several times of occurring this event, an angry and annoying peasant brought an axe and cut the annoying branch. By giving the hack to the branch it sprouted blood of it, because he had cut the arm part of a crucifix delineated in the branch. Frightened the man came to the priest of Yahualica who went to the location and saw the oak tree (encino) was the image of the Holy Christ. The priest called a sculptor who drew the perfect image of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified. Adds the legend that the branch that the peasant cut is a finger of the lord of Encino, from that moment until today have tried to put his finger, but always failed and never wanted to stay.
This legend has been passed down from generation to generation (oral tradition).
In the place where the oak tree (encino) stood there is a cross on stones in which this description is written: "This cross commemorates the place of the discovery of the Lord of Encino. In the midst of these two stones was the oak where the image was delineated, in the year of 1747 ",
From the year 1747 until 1831 the image was only known in the vicinity of Yahualica. These data were taken by the written descriptions of characters such as Benito Torres and Vicente Gómez R.
Devotion and fame for the favors received that Lord of Encino made to those who with faith asked him, it did that the priest José Ma. Casillas gave the image to a sculptor to give him coloration, and that was when the image was publicly approved.
On November 22, 1882, the Priest José María Rojas adorns the lord of Encino placing the rays that circulate the cross.
THE FIRST VISIT OF THE LORD OF THE ENCINO TO YAHUALICA JALISCO.
It was in the year of 1833 when the priest Cesáreo Villegas sent to bring the image of the ranch Ocotes of Moya in procession (walking) from the small ranch to the village of Yahualica, the distance between the 2 places is 19 kilometers approximately , it was because a plague: cholera Morbus that whipped the people, with this disease had already claimed several lives, the people of that time with faith made fervent supplications and with that procession of the Lord of the Encino through the main streets of the town the epidemic ceased, this happened on September 27, 1833 . From that year until today, every year the image makes this tour. In the village of Yahualica there are parties in honor of the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and others religious images that are worshipped in the village.
From the year 1833 to 1973 the original image was led to the town of Yahualica, until in 1973 when the pilgrim image was sculpted which is led its entrance solemn to Yahualica every 27 of September and is returned to its sanctuary of Ocotes of Moya one Thursday before the Ash Wednesday. This tradition persists to the present day. The original image is in its sanctuary of Ocotes of Moya.
At first the image was in a small room, but on February 19, 1866 began to make the foundations of a new formal chapel and on February 4, 1868 was made the blessing of this. It was until 1956 when the priest José González wanted to build a wide sanctuary, he asked for the necessary licenses to Archbishop Don José Garibi Rivera who commissioned the engineer José Luis Amezcua the project and on February 9, 1961 the blessing and placement of the first stone was carried out. With the donations of the devotees, it was possible to build the sanctuary that to date exists in the Ocotes of Moya.
Since 1954 there is the tradition that the first Sunday of September are received to the pilgrims of the city of Guadalajara Jalisco who come to visit the image, this pilgrimage was initiated by the Mr. Donaciano Gómez Ruvalcaba (Chano) and Mr. José Gerardo Velazco.
The image of the Lord of Encino is already recognized at the local, national and international level by various miracles he has done to those who with faith come to his aid.
- Information taken from: The story of Lord of Encino that the priest Juan Francisco Navarro Gutierrez published in 1988 and the priest Fernando Varela Gamiño.
- Translated by: Mtra. Bertha González Ruvalcaba (Bety GR). July 2018.
- Courtesy of: The priest Fernando Varela Gamiño (Rector of the sanctuary) and Mtra. Bertha González Ruvalcaba.
Yahualica of Gonzalez Gallo is a town in the upper southern region of the state of Jalisco where the image of the Lord of Encino (Encino is an oak tree) is venerated.
The Lord of the Encino is an image of Jesus Christ crucified who was discovered by the discovery of a Native peasant of a ranch called Ocotes of Moya belonging to the town of Yahualica. Legend tells that the peasant was an alcoholic, he abused his wife recurrently and every Sunday he had the habit of going to the town of Yahualica to get drunk, contract the music band and walked the main streets of the town screaming with enthusiasm: " Long live the mother of God! " "Long live the mother of God! ". After wasting his money he returned to the ranch Ocotes of Moya on his horse. Necessarily by its way it passed under a burly tree of Encino (oak tree). Always when he was passing one of the branches his hat was overthrown to the ground, after several times of occurring this event, an angry and annoying peasant brought an axe and cut the annoying branch. By giving the hack to the branch it sprouted blood of it, because he had cut the arm part of a crucifix delineated in the branch. Frightened the man came to the priest of Yahualica who went to the location and saw the oak tree (encino) was the image of the Holy Christ. The priest called a sculptor who drew the perfect image of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified. Adds the legend that the branch that the peasant cut is a finger of the lord of Encino, from that moment until today have tried to put his finger, but always failed and never wanted to stay.
This legend has been passed down from generation to generation (oral tradition).
In the place where the oak tree (encino) stood there is a cross on stones in which this description is written: "This cross commemorates the place of the discovery of the Lord of Encino. In the midst of these two stones was the oak where the image was delineated, in the year of 1747 ",
From the year 1747 until 1831 the image was only known in the vicinity of Yahualica. These data were taken by the written descriptions of characters such as Benito Torres and Vicente Gómez R.
Devotion and fame for the favors received that Lord of Encino made to those who with faith asked him, it did that the priest José Ma. Casillas gave the image to a sculptor to give him coloration, and that was when the image was publicly approved.
On November 22, 1882, the Priest José María Rojas adorns the lord of Encino placing the rays that circulate the cross.