A statue of the Virgin Mary in Mexico has been captured “crying” tears, prompting hundreds to travel to witness a “miracle.”
A Miracle?
The statue was first noticed “crying” in October — but videos of the statue’s purported tears gained traction on social media in mid-November.
The statue, which is encased in glass, is named the Virgin of Dolores. It’s located in the town of El Chanal, which is near the city of Colima, the capital of the state with the same name.
Hundreds have flocked to the church to witness the inexplicable miracle take place, The Sun reported.
Accompanying footage shows the statue, named the Virgin of Dolores, encased in glass, with a water droplet seemingly emerging from the statue’s eye and running down her face.
Some witnesses believe the Virgin Mary’s tears are real, as the redness around her eyes indicates she has been crying.
“Similarly, when we cry, and our eyes become red, the same happens to the image,” Victor Ramos, a local resident, said, according to the outlet.
Mary reportedly drew throngs of skeptics and believers alike, with many pilgrims claiming that it was a sign from God.
“So a couple of tears started flowing. This is the event, the phenomenon that is happening here in the church.”
Mr Ramos also believes he may have an inkling as to why the statue has started to cry.
“We can associate it with… the violence rates that are being experienced here in the state of Colima, also here in the community,” he reportedly said.
Colima has been labeled the most dangerous city in Mexico and has held that ranking for six years, according to the Mexican organization The Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, reports The Daily Star.
Gang violence and shootings have been known to injure or kill bystanders, and there have been reports in the past of US citizens being kidnapped in Colima.
A visitor to the statue, Maria Mercedes Hernandez, hopes that the venerated saint will bestow peace on the gang-affected area.
“Peace, may she give us peace in Colima and throughout the world, that we may return to the Colima of before,” she said, according to The Sun.
The Skeptics
Yet there are still some sceptics who do not believe that the mysterious tears are, in fact, a miracle.
Professor Luigi Garlaschelli told the outlet that statues can absorb water due to their porous materials.
“You need a hollow statue made of plaster or ceramic, which must be covered on the outside with a waterproof layer,” Mr Garlaschelli said.
“By filling the statue with water through an imperceptible hole at the top, the porous material will absorb it, but the outer layer will prevent it from coming out. However, if a slight scratch is made in the protective glaze in the tear duct area, the absorbed water will come out through it as if it were tears.”
Many other statues that have appeared to be weeping have been reported in the past.
Another Virgin Mary statue in the small town of Trevignano Romano attracted hundreds of pilgrims to witness the statue cry tears of what appeared to be blood earlier this year.