Cristo Negro (Portobelo)

Life size, it is adorned with a robe that is changed twice a year, once during the Festival of the Black Christ and during Holy Week.

Some time during the 17th century (an exact date is not identified), it was carried in a Colombian vessel to be installed in the New World.

The image is carved of heavy cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) wood of dark brown colour.

[8] A gilded plaque with items linked with Christ's crucifixion, such as nails, a crown of thorns, and dice as used by the Roman soldiers adorns the statue.

[2][9] All the gowns which have adorned the statue, and which are changed twice a year, are now preserved in a museum called the Museo del Cristo Negro (Black Christ Museum), which is located at the Church of San Juan de Dios, a 17th-century church located behind the Iglesis de San Felipe.

The robes are a mark of an individual devotee's expressed adoration of the Black Christ and their penance seeking atonement of sin.

Panamanian photographer Sandra Eleta included a majestic coverage of the Cristo Negro massive procession in her slide-show "Portobelo", while Cuban-American filmmaker Alfredo Alvarez Calderón released in 1996 a comprehensive documentary on the cult, pilgrimage and procession, called "El Cristo Negro de Portobelo".

Painter Rogelio Pretto and other Panamanian artists have also contributed many works with the Cristo Negro image.