So far, hundreds are said to have visited the church to see for themselves the crying statue.
Videos, too, have been shared across social media which do appear to show water drops exuding from the statue’s eyes, and running down its face.
Among the residents to argue its validity is Victor Ramos, who according to CEN, said the statue’s eyes became even more realistic than normal due to the water.
He said: “Similarly, when we cry, and our eyes become red, the same happens to the image.”
The dumbfounded devotee added: “So a couple of tears started flowing. This is the event, the phenomenon that is happening here in the church.”
Along with the likes of Ramos, many other locals believe there is a deeper meaning behind the alleged miracle.
The Virgin Mary’s tears, according to legend in Colima, are associated with the prevailing violence in the region. As of October 2023, 702 confirmed intentional homicides in the year have been confirmed there.
Ramos added: “We can associate it with… the violence rates that are being experienced here in the state of Colima, also here in the community.”
Visitor Maria Mercedes Hernandez continued: “Peace, may she give us peace in Colima and throughout the world, that we may return to the Colima of before.”
There are those who do not believe this, though, including Professor Luigi Garlaschelli, who said statues have the ability to absorb water due to the materials produced.
The professor said: “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 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.”
The incident is similar to the 1986 episode of much loved BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, in which Del Boy stumbles upon a statue that appears to be crying, raking in thousands of pounds for a local church as the world’s media descended upon Peckham to see the newly found “miracle”.
