Chalma, Malinalco, Mexico State

Chalma
Village
Sanctuary of Chalma with cliffs in the background
Coordinates: 18°55′56″N 99°26′09″W / 18.93222°N 99.43583°W / 18.93222; -99.43583Coordinates: 18°55′56″N 99°26′09″W / 18.93222°N 99.43583°W / 18.93222; -99.43583
Country	Mexico
State	State of Mexico
Municipality	Malinalco, Mexico State
Elevation (of seat)	1,700 m (5,600 ft)
Population (2005)
• Total	1,701
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)

Chalma is a small community, which is part of the municipality of Malinalco, Mexico State. Its small population is almost completely dedicated to the pilgrims who come to visit the Sanctuary of Chalma, the second most-important pilgrimage site in Mexico. The sanctuary is dedicated to an image of what many people describe as a "black Christ" on a cross that legend says miraculously appeared in an area cave where the worship of a deity commonly known as Oxtoteotl used to take place. Actually, Oxtoteotl is an aspect of Tezcatlipoca, the "Smoking Mirror," and the "black Christ" is really Tezcatlipoca, which the Spanish friars superimposed on the existing representation of Tezcatlipoca in order to convert the natives. Pilgrimages to this Christian sanctuary follow many of the patterns of the prehispanic rituals, including walking the narrow paths to the town itself, bathing in the waters of a special fresh-water spring and dancing at the sanctuary.

Prior to the Conquest, the small caves in the Chalma area were thought to be holy, and all caves came under Tezcatlipoca, the "Smoking Mirror," the representative of the Mexica night. The aspect of Tezcatlipoca associated with caves was Oxtoteotl (also: Ostocteotl, Ostoteotl, Ostoctheotl) which has been translated as “the Dark Lord of the Cave,“ though there is little agreement on how to translate this term. Francisco de Florencia, in his 1689 chronicle of the place (the earliest written source available on the subject) suggested the name Ostoc Teotl, but also said that his indigenous sources were unsure of the identity of the deity. In one of the caves, it was said to be a large, man-sized, black, cylindrical idol of Oxtoteotl with reputed magical and healing powers. Oxtoteotl was a god of human destiny or of night, sometimes appearing as a jaguar or with the god of war, depending on different oral traditions. Those who made pilgrimage to the deity walked for days in the surrounding mountains, wearing flowers and carrying incense burners. After arriving to the site, they bathed in the nearby river fed by a sacred spring and drank holy water before entering the cave. There were also signs that worship of this deity included human sacrifice.

In approximately 1537,Augustinians, including Brothers Sebastian de Tolentino and Nicolas Perea came to evangelize the Malinalco region of which Chalma is part. From there, the story has a number of versions. Most state that after learning about and perhaps seeing the rites associated with the worship of Oxtoteotl, Tolentino and Perea worked to evangelize here, urging the local people to destroy the idol. Then, three days later, the friars returned to destroy the idol themselves, but instead found a life-sized image of a crucified Christ in the space that the idol, which was found in pieces on the ground, previously occupied. Upon seeing the image, the indigenous people are said to have fallen down in “apostolic piety,” which allowed for the conversion of the people of this area.