CHASING MIRACLES IN QUIAPO AND ANTIPOLO: SYMBOLISM AND EXPRESSION OF POPULAR PIETY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

This study is about Catholicism in the Philippines, highlighting the events and objects on the popular devotion to the Black Christ Nazarene of Quiapo and to the Black Virgin Mary of Antipolo. This study also calls for more scholarly attention on the historical and religious connection between the Philippines and Mexico, that through them we can better appreciate the Latin American dimension of Filipino Catholicism. In addition to commercial goods, the Manila Galleon facilitated the transmission and transplantation of Catholicism in the Philippines. Moreover, the discussion also examines the symbolism and expression of the devotee’s innermost selfhood. What are the motivations of the devotees? How has their religious practices changed overtime? This study is historical and ethnographic, using sources from the archives and research materials collected during my fieldwork in the Philippines, U.S., Mexico, and Spain. Although the development of Christo-Marian devotion is central to my arguments, the discussion takes a broader consideration of Quiapo and Antipolo as places and spaces for performing panata. This analytical step is consistent with the hypothesis that a consideration of the devotions to Christ and Mary are crucial to the understanding of the historical and religious interconnections in the Philippines.