By Eugenio Amézquita Velasco
Translation: Metro News Mx
-A monumental 10-meter-high sculpture of Christ, carved from a single piece of sabino wood, redefines the identity of Hotel Don Porfirio in Apaseo El Grande.
-The work, weighing almost three tons, is the hotel's jewel and was created by artist Manuel Centeno and his family in Apaseo El Alto, a cradle of woodcarvers.
-The "Detached Christ" ("Cristo Desprendido") was originally conceived for Pope Benedict XVI's mass in Silao in 2012 but was never installed due to logistical problems.
The Christ the Pope did not see and that captivated Apaseo El Grande
The conversation with Adrián Caracheo, guide and host at the Hotel Don Porfirio, unveils a fascinating story where art, faith, and a twist of fate converge to create a new tourist icon in Guanajuato. The centerpiece of the hotel is not its architecture or history – although it references a Captain Porfirio Díaz, a namesake of the former President of the Republic – but the imposing presence of the "Detached Christ," a sculpture that transcends the merely decorative to become an object of veneration and identity.
The Christ, with its ten meters of height and nearly three tons of weight, not only dominates the space but also awes due to its origin. It was carved by master Manuel Centeno and his family team in Apaseo El Alto, a municipality known for its wood artists.
The technique used is almost miraculous. The sculpture was achieved from a single piece of sabino wood, a tree whose connection with water and centuries-old dimensions underscore the project's monumentality. The most newsworthy aspect is the use of the wood's natural cracks and shapes to simulate Christ's wounds, a detail of realism and communion with the material that highlights the carver's mastery.
The name "Detached Christ" ("Cristo Desprendido") is due to Manuel Centeno's intention to capture the precise moment Christ's body loses life and detaches from the Cross, just before the Descent. This symbolism is as profound as its failed history.
Adrián Caracheo reveals that the work was not conceived for the hotel, but for installation at the Bicentennial Park in Silao during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Guanajuato in 2012. However, the complexity of moving and installing a work of such magnitude prevented it from arriving in time for the papal mass.
This logistical impediment turned into a blessing for Hotel Don Porfirio. Caracheo, who learned of the Christ’s existence while serving as President of the Tourism Council, saw it and immediately recognized that its dimensions (ten by five meters) perfectly fit the wall he had reserved for a "very special" piece.
Thus, the work that the Vatican could not exhibit now anchors a hotel in Apaseo El Grande, imbuing it with a meaning that is already recognized by visitors: the monumental Christ has become the new, striking postcard of the place. Furthermore, the fact that the Christ is not for sale underscores its incalculable value and its status as private heritage that dignifies the region.
The complete interview with Adrián Caracheo, by Eugenio Amézquita Velasco
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
It was mandatory to come to Apaseo El Grande, which some consider the municipality with the oldest settlement in Guanajuato. We are going to argue with Acámbaro, but there are some writings about that. But what is impressive is this Christ that many people already identify and is located in a place called Hotel Don Porfirio. They told me that Don Porfirio Díaz was here, but not the one you are thinking of, but his name was Porfirio Díaz. But it is truly spectacular, it is, I don't know, moving, this monumental Christ that is made of *mezquite* wood is moving. But I would like, well, he is going to explain to me here if it is *mezquite* or not *mezquite*, what wood it is. But here I have my good friend Adrián Caracheo. Hello! We have known each other for ages, Adrián. How incredible, we've known each other since high school, and he is our guide on this visit here. Adrián, thank you for coming here with me, tell me. Where did this Christ come from? Who made it? How did it happen? Thank you, Adrián.
Adrián Caracheo:
Thank you, thank you for the interview. This is your home. Well, this hotel is in Apaseo El Grande. The Christ comes from Apaseo El Alto, ah, look, yes. That is a city of wood carvers, of artists, and so, uh, we met him because when I was president of the Tourism Council here in the region, a person from a television station in the United States came to see the region, the traditions, the culture. They came during Holy Week, and on a Good Friday, we took them here to Paseo del Alto, and there was an exhibition of sculptures. So, the person in charge of tourism there, Nunila, attended to us...
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Whose name was Nunila Mireles, yes, Mireles, a good friend too, greetings Nunila.
Adrián Caracheo:
She attended to us there and took us to meet the artist, Manuel Centeno, who made this sculpture. Him and his family, because it is made as a team, that is, a brother and and well, uh, I don't know if his mother, his parents, this, but it is a family effort, yes. I am very struck by the family aspect, because I said to him: "Hey, but how can you work on something as a family with a concept that you don't have a, first, some form made before or even a drawing?". So he told me: "No, we agree as we go, you don't notice where one carved or where the other carved." You don't see the sculpture as being made by one hand. Let's say, this, the tree is *sabino* and it is a single piece.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Yes, a single piece.
Adrián Caracheo:
A single piece, yes, yes, yes. The interesting thing here is that, uh, well, you know that in the *Sabinos* area, water flowed from up there at the *nacimiento* (spring), that's what it's called, yes, the deposits or springs and wellsprings were there. And so, the water was supplied from there to here, the lands were irrigated, and all around there were many *sabinos*, which need a lot of water. Trees, well, hundreds of years old, I honestly don't know how many, but then I think, judging by the width of those trees, well...
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
We should get closer. Well, here, look, look, here is the INRI precisely, down there, yes, exactly, that is that, that, that in the acronym for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, which Pilate ordered to be placed on the top part of Christ's cross, which even caused distress to the Jews, but finally what is written is written and it stayed that way. But look at that, the thickness of this tree, Adrián,
Adrián Caracheo:
and this is the cross, this is the thin part.
Look at the carving, what they had to remove from the tree to give it all that width. Look, if you see from where the shroud is,
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
yes, yes, yes, yes, loincloth, obviously,
Adrián Caracheo:
yes, yes, up to here, well, it is the width, that is, several people are needed to give it all. The rest was removed and removed, and then all these, what were the wounds that Christ had at the time, are natural to the tree. They took advantage of the shapes and all...
All, all those cracks that the wood had, exactly, well, they coincided, well, with the knees. The knees, yes, look at the blood that is there. You can see the bones there from so much kneeling. This, well, at the top it also has the spears that they stabbed into his side, sides, and the expression on his face.
The Christ is called "Detached Christ" ("Cristo Desprendido") because the artist wanted to imply, to give, uh, to capture the moment Christ loses his life and detaches from life and detaches from the world too, from this earth, right? So, if you look, he is detached from the cross, that is, he is no longer the typical nailed Christ, no, he is already detached and it is the moment they start to lower him this...
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
for the descent,
Adrián Caracheo:
exactly, yes. So, well, it weighs almost 3 tons, it measures 10 m high and
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
it is not for sale,
Adrián Caracheo:
and it is not for sale, yes, yes.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
I mean, the truth is that this Christ is giving this Hotel Porfirio, I say with all the commercial aspect that goes with it, it is what is giving this hotel its meaning, this hotel is already identified by this Christ. Yes, yes, yes, since, oh, how many years has it been, uh? Well, when...
Adrián Caracheo:
Well, when the Pope came it was in 2012. It has been here for 9 years. This was made precisely for when Pope Benedict came, to place it in the last mass that was going to be held at the Bicentennial Park in León. Exactly, in Silao.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
In Silao.
Adrián Caracheo:
In Silao, exactly. They were unable to take it. The artists ran into complications and by the time they realized it, it was no longer time, they couldn't take it anymore, the logistics didn't work and they were no longer allowed to. So, I met him at that moment when we went to see what the wood exhibition was like. We met the artist because he was exhibiting sculptures of a maximum of 8 cm. He is a national award winner in miniature sculptures. So, when he explained to us that he had the miniatures in his workshop, I thought, well, we are going to see a little box and the miniatures there, and now he opens the gate and we see this Christ lying there, what an outrage! Yes, it impressed me greatly and so I had reserved this wall when the hotel was built to put something very special and we had brought painters, sculptors, we were looking to see what we would do. It measures 10 m high by 5 m wide, and so when I ask Manuel Centeno: "Hey, how much does the Christ measure?". "Well, it measures 5 by 10".
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
No, that one goes there, that one goes there, that one belongs there.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Adrián, we're not leaving. We are in this beautiful interview getting to know this Christ of the detachment, I think it's called.
Adrián Caracheo:
"Detached Christ,"
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
"Detached Christ," which is here at the Hotel Don Porfirio, in Apaseo El Grande, Guanajuato. What a beautiful place! I am in this interview through Guanajuato Desconocido. Don't go away because we continue here at Hotel Don Porfirio and we are going to learn more things.
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