What is Black Nazarene?

Answer 1

The Black Nazarene is a 400 year old wooden statue of Jesus carrying the cross. During WWII, the church that the statue was in burned down and the statue survived, During the fire it turned black. people thought of it as a miracle.

Answer 2

I made a compilation some time ago on the Black Christ, (same thing as Black Nazarene) throughout the former Spanish empire. In Philippines, throughout Central America -includes Mexico- and Northern South America, and even in Spain.

This is a unique mestizo invention, the fusion of prehispanic native cultures (the bronze skin races) everywhere, with the Catholicism, fuses many prehispanic gods, religions and gods into Catholic equivalents. This also happened here in the American continent, with African prehispanic religions and beliefs; they converged into Catholicism. This syncretism is everywhere, but it's sad that unless you speak Castellano you cannot understand how full the scope is. Black Christ/Nazarene is Christ himself invested in native's skin; had 'the Black Nazarene' been intended to portray Afro-Hispanics of the times, he would have had different facial and hair features.

The Black Nazarene is not meant to be 'black', this is very fine wood such as caoba (mahogany) for example, which ages throughout the years and even more with centuries. Caoba is synonims of luxe, fine wood, meant to last and highly coveted in the times... Same effect as if it had been carved in the most expensive ivory, marble or gold. All Nazarenes carved in caoba wood, in colonial times, are today more black than brown, because of the aging, and so is all furniture coming from colonial times. Add to it the millions of hands and fingers (including oils and secretions) throuhout hundreds of years...