Good Friday - Viernes Santo

Obviously, lots is happening today as it is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar.  I'll head into the city later this afternoon, but I wanted to catch some of the early action in the nearby villages. 

In Reyes Etla, they were just finishing a mass and getting ready to carry the statues from the church to the various stations of the cross that were being set up. 

Each one was different and each one had its own sweetness.  Nothing fancy.  This is el campo.

 Fighting mosquitoes with the jacarandas in full blossom.

And breakfast, too.

I did not want to get on the wrong side of the Lord, meaning I did not want to get trapped by the procession, so I headed back to Etla.

In Etla, they do the whole Passion with Cristo getting castigated, beaten and paraded through the streets ending in the Crucifixion, but I was way too early for that.  It is serious!  I did catch the preparation of the crosses.

And people were buying fish like crazy.  The chicken sellers were strangely idle.

And then, all there was, was the waiting....