Sacred wood carvings—Saints, Santos, or Passion figures—are images of the Virgin Mary, Christ and other individuals, along with episodes from the Bible. Most often you find Christ depictions. They play an important role in Catholic worship in Mexico, and South America. Introduced by Spanish missionaries in the 16th and 17th Centuries, these works of devotion serve as spiritual intermediaries and focal points for prayer. A wood carving of a bleeding Christ is an example of a Passion statue. 
The religious art pieces feature the carved “corpus christi” (body of Christ) depicting the wounds, and the crown of thorns, accentuated with deep red paint to convey the intensity of his sacrifice. Some of these pieces seem almost alive. Devotional art in Mexico and South America is deeply spiritual and fuses European Catholic iconography with local cultural, artistry. Churches and Cathedrals in Mexico and South America are full of these devotional figures. These are just a few of my favorite Christ figures from Mexico and South America.
