The legend of the Mass of Carmen.

Several centuries ago, in the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas lived a respectable woman, the widow María Josefina, who from the moment her husband died, had dedicated a part of her considerable fortune to helping the homeless. She was a very loved woman in San Cristóbal, always supportive, kind and affectionate with everyone who got close to her. Among her multiple daily activities, María Josefina used to attend five o'clock mass and every morning, without giving a chance for the sun to rise, the widow arrived punctually at the Iglesia del Carmen, the most respected and admired temple in the town, where she the faithful, devotees like her, attended every day to listen to the word of the Lord.

Doña María Josefina's nobility made her considerate and she never made a sound that might wake up her servant to open the door for her at such early hours of the day; he knew he was old, weak and sick and she preferred to open and close the door. Upon returning from her daily and urgent mass, María Josefina had an exquisite hot coffee and some rolls waiting for her to accompany her. After breakfast, she continued her routine to keep the house spotless and the homeless cared for.

On one occasion, Maria Josefa woke up to the bells of the church that called all her faithful. Concerned about her delay, she hurried, but without allowing her haste to cause a noise that woke up her faithful and old servant. The widow walked hurriedly through the dark streets of San Cristóbal, she carried her rosary and her Bible tightly held by the hand and her quick step was noted with rhythm on the sidewalks of the town.

Upon arriving at the temple, she took her usual place, away from her but in front of the main altar, specially chosen to attend mass without distractions or intrusions. Like every day, Doña María Josefina began to read her Bible, waiting for the mass to begin, but there was an inexplicable silence that made her stop reading it and raise her head to see the rest of the church. At the moment of getting up, she realized that all the faithful were sitting much ahead of her and she panicked when she realized that all those present had no heads.

María Josefina did not know how to react, she gasped and saw that the father who was beginning to officiate mass had also had his throat cut. Her legs didn't react, her breathing had stopped and her mind had been stunned. She suddenly felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, with unbridled terror she decided to turn to see who was behind her. She went through the character's habit and began to calm down when she saw that it was a friar, but when she finished going through the body, she realized that the religious man had no head either, while he said to her: "My daughter, this is not a mass for the living, it is for the deceased”.

María Josefina only had the strength to nod slightly with her head and with an inordinate effort she walked out of the temple. Her body felt heavy, no matter how much she wanted to flee from that place, she was not able to speed up her pace. After an immense effort, she managed to return to her house and as she opened the door, the church bells began to ring, indicating that it was midnight.

From that moment, the legend of the mass of Carmen tells that anyone who dares to pass by the Church of Carmen at 12 at night should not enter the temple, because it is said that a mass is still celebrated for all the deceased. that even in the other world the faithful attend this temple of God in San Cristóbal de las Casas.