I come from a non-religious background. I have never really spent much time in churches and cathedrals save for marriages or visits of interest whilst on my travels, but I have always revered and perhaps even slightly envied those with a faith. My two Spanish friends and I, also non-religious, but with a greater understanding of Catholicism given their cultural heritage, decided that this particular spectacle was not to be missed, and what started as mere interest quickly evolved into awe, and then into an experience that seriously changed my life.

Mexico is the second most Catholic country in the world behind Brazil, and roughly 97% of all Mexicans are of the Catholic faith. I had heard rumours of such acts of penance in the past, but to be honest I had discarded such stories as overblown and glorified, but come Semana Santa (Easter holidays), my Mexican friends started to ask me what my plans were for the holidays. Every Mexican does something for Semana Santa, without exception, and so I started to ask around about information on the so-called 'Viacrusis'.

A part of Mexico City, about 11km to the South of the centre kept coming up in conversation, called Iztapalapa. Rumours were that this fervour-struck barrio was the site of a real-life re-enactment of The Passion of the Christ, which would culminate in one person, selected at the end of a process that begins three years earlier, where churches from eight different barrios from surrounding areas select one candidate, who will be hung from a life-size cross atop the Iztapalapa hill. Thousands of other dovout Catholics reach the site of the hanging after carrying a replica the 90kilo cross on his or her shoulder over an uphill course of several miles. Sizes of the cross replicas vary from small to large, but in all honesty, carrying anything more than a light backpack in the 35degree afternoon heat is strenuous.

We arrived on the extremely cheap and efficient Mexico City underground metro service at the Iztapalapa station and emerged into the late morning sun to be confronted by a large number of brightly coloured stalls, selling all manner of religious artefacts and posters. The rich smell of cooked onion and meat emanated from the taco stands, which provide the most irresistable food I have ever tasted, and a million times tastier than Old El Paso, the typical British shelf brand of Mexican food.

Making our way through the brightly coloured stalls we followed the majority of the crowds on the packed streets, which thankfully had been closed off to traffic for the day. Suddenly in the distance I could make out a throng of people, above which could be seen the peaks of tens of crosses on their side, slowly moving in an unhill direction. We reached the intersection to see a long straight road that snaked slowly uphill. The road was full of replica crosses, some larger than life, and of hard, heavy-looking wood. Others were smaller but the thought of carrying them on ones shoulder was equally as daunting. The penant wore purple robes, made especially for the occasion, and the majority had a small cushion placed on their shoulder to prevent the wood rubbing against the skin. Others didn't even want the cushion. All participants wore a crown of thorns and basic sandals, whilst some did not even wear anything on their feet at all.

All were making their way slowly to their goal, some running, whilst others could only take it slowly, their faces crusted with dirt, sweat and wearing the expression of pain and fatigue, yet there was a resiliance in the eyes that spoke more than words.

The reason so many people undertake such a task is to, both reaffirm their faith and also to seek pardon for their past sins, but it is also done to bring each person closer to God by voluntarily experiencing what Jesus underwent when he sacrificed himself for his people.

At the top of the hill stood many who had successfully reached the top, the peak adorned by three pristine crosses that baked in the hot sun. Only one was to be used. The person to be hung was considered by many to be lucky, as he was able to truely suffer as Jesus did. The 'lucky' man could choose his method of hanging, either by ropes around the wrists, or as many have done in the past, by nails through the wrists and ankles. The person is then hung for five minutes before being taken down, detatched from the cross and rushed to hospital.

I left the site astounded that such an act could happen, but also feeling rather pathetic at the fact that the only suffering I had sustained was a sunburn.

By Paul Stafford