Construction Miracle
Mexico, 2004
Background of the Story
Once upon a time in Fresnillo, Mexico, work began on the a new road to the apple orchards of the Sierra de los Cardos(a farming district in the city). A new road was needed very badly because the old road was in very bad shape and was barely passable for the truckloads of apples produced in the region.
The construction of the new road was headed by an engineer named Manuel Gamboa, who was a faithful devotee of the Santo Niño de Atocha(a Mexican portrayal of Jesus). So he placed an image of the Santo Niño alongside the road and prayed both for protection against accidents and for a successful conclusion of the project.
The First Miracle
The Second Miracle
As the work continued, the new road eventually reached the site of the statue of Santo Niño. Gamboa ordered one of the workers to move the holy image away from danger because the next day they would be dynamiting the area where he had placed it. This was done. But to the surprise of the workers when they arrived at the site the next morning, the image had returned to its original location. The unhappy engineer asked the crew who moved the statue, but no one had a clue of how it was transported. The image was moved back away from the dynamite zone and work proceeded. A hole for the dynamite was drilled and the charge was placed and set off. But it didn't explode. On inspecting the defective charge, it was noted that the dynamite had gone bad so a new charge was set in place, but it too failed to explode. A third charge also failed to explode. The explosive expert then became very angry with the crew thinking that they made a mistake. He decided that he would place and set off the charge since he was an expert, but this fourth charge didn't explode either.
Gamboa then realized that the image of the Santo Niño de Atocha wanted to remain in its original location. The engineer decided to not dynamite the area in which the statue was placed because it was a sign from God. The construction crew built a small cement enclosure around the statue to protect it and to prevent its removal in the future.
Appreciation of the Miracle
In thankfulness to the Santo Niño de Atocha for protecting the work and allowing the successful completion of the road to El Portillo, every December 25th the people of San Juan del Centro meet at the image for a solemn mass to celebrate the birthday of the Holy Child. It is followed by a picnic with music and dancing. A small chapel in front of the image is in the process of being built to honor Santo Nino.
Interesting Facts
2. The bulldozer which was being driven fastly down the road, was stopped immediately right before it fell off of the cliff. Also, bulldozers are very heavy so they take a while to completely stop, it is almost impossible to make a bulldozer stop in its tracks.
3. The explosive expert who said he would place and set off the charge himself boasted that he had never had a failure in his lifetime of work. But even when he did it himself, the charge did not explode.
4. The statue of Santo Nino alongside the road in Fresnillo, Mexico still stands there today.