Was this a genuine miracle or a religious sob story? Churchgoers in Mexico say they’ve witnessed a miracle after seeing a statue of the Virgin Mary that appeared to have real tears streaming down her cheeks.
Video footage shows the statue, named the Virgin of Dolores, encased in glass, with a droplet seemingly emerging from the statue’s eye and running down her face. Mary reportedly drew flocks of skeptics and believers, with many claiming it was a sign from God. Witness Victor Ramos told CEN of the alleged phenomenon, which happened at a church in the town of El Chanal, located in Colima and north of the capital city of the same name, “So, a couple of tears started flowing. Similarly, when we cry, and our eyes become red, the same happens to the image.”
Some locals believe the misty-eyed Mary was crying due to the violence plaguing Colima, whose capital was ranked the most violent city in the world in 2022. As of October, the Colima Prosecutor’s Office recorded 702 confirmed intentional homicides in the state, many of which are from the fact that the city is a hotbed for drug cartel activity.
Ramos claimed, “We can associate it with the violence rates that are being experienced here in the state of Colima, also here in the community.” According to a report by the U.S. Congress, the region is contested by at least four significant cartels — Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Sinaloa, Santa Rosa de Lima and Cárteles Unidos — and authorities are powerless to stop the violence. Visitor Maria Mercedes Hernandez said, “Peace, may she give us peace in Colima and throughout the world, that we may return to the Colima of before.”
@thesun Virgin Mary statue ‘starts crying’ with tears rolling down her cheeks in Mexico #mary #virginmary #holy #church #religion #mexico #miracle #tears #crying #phenomenon #shocking #statue #bizarre #news #worldnews #fyp #foryoupage ♬ A sad but beautiful chorus like a church funeral – Kurippertronixxx
However, some skeptics had a more scientific explanation for Mary’s weeping, with Italian chemistry professor Luigi Garlashelli attributing the statue’s ability to absorb moisture due to its porousness. He explained, “You need a hollow statue made of plaster or ceramic, which must be covered on the outside with a waterproof layer. By filling the statue with water through an invisible hole at the top, the porous material will absorb it, but the outer layer will prevent it from coming out.”
Still, according to the professor, if the protective glaze were to get scratched near Mary’s eyes, the absorbed water would leak out, giving the illusion that the statue was crying. This incident isn’t the first time a replica of Jesus’ mother has been seen allegedly shedding a tear.
In 2019, worshippers flocked to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago to witness a “weeping” painting of the Virgin Mary that they believe was mourning the institution’s pending foreclosure.
Meanwhile, the Catholic diocese in the New Mexico city of Las Cruces launched an investigation into a “crying” sculpture of the messiah’s mother in a Hobbs church located there. A chemical analysis of the liquid revealed that it was, somewhat suspiciously, fragrant olive oil of the type used for baptisms and other holy purposes.