Mexico Good Friday Re-Enactment Another Victim Of Pandemic

By jsalinas 04/02/2021472 views

Brando Neri Luna plays the the role of Jesus Christ in the Passion Play of Iztapalapa, outside the Cathedral, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Friday, April 2, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. To help prevent the spread of the COVID-19, Latin America's most famous re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ was closed to the public and transmitted live so people could watch at home, for a second consecutive year. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

(AP) — The Mexico City hilltop that normally hosts the largest re-enactment of the crucifixion in the hemisphere was empty on Good Friday. The more than 2 million people that attended the event before the pandemic provided a badly needed source of income for a working class borough of Iztapalapa.

Authorities decided to cancel the vast religious ceremony for a second year in a row due to the pandemic. Mexico’s test-confirmed deaths amount to more than 200,000, and untested victims boost that toll to over 320,000. But the economic toll has also been terrible.