niño doctor, tepeaca, puebla (2022)
Photography documenting the site of the veneration of “Santo Niño Jesús Doctor de los Enfermos” in Tepeaca, Puebla during the coronavirus pandemic. The small statue is a Catholic depiction of a small baby doctor Jesus that originated in 1942 during the inauguration of a new hospital in the area.
The church in which the statue is housed receives pilgrimages every year from sick and infirm devotees who are convinced of the child’s supposed curative holy powers and who seek to gain its favors. The image of the “niño doctor” is celebrated with offerings every April 30th on “Día del Niño”, a holiday in which children are celebrated across Mexico. In a surreal twist, the church of the “Santuario del Niño Doctor” currently serves as a Covid-19 vaccination site.
mateo-vargas.com 