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6

SATURDAY

Why worship Jesus Christ when you’ve got St. John the Baptist? Or, for that matter, the Virgin of Guadalupe? How ’bout St. Martin of Porres? Throughout the former Spanish colonies in America, Christian saints have assumed major roles in local religious communities, sometimes displacing the more traditionally accepted figure. In San Juan Chamula—a city in the southern Mexican province of Chiapas—a figure of St. John graces the local church’s apse, to which Mayan-descended Indian villagers pray directly for intercession. If Chiapas is too far, try the Mall. On Saturday, three santeros—New Mexican santos (which means holy image) carvers Victor Goler, Félix A. López, and Krissa Maria López—will be on hand to show off their art and answer questions at “Meet the Santeros,” part of the ongoing Smithsonian exhibit Santos: Substance Soul. At 2 p.m. at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, 900 Jefferson Drive SW. Free. (202) 357-2700. (Garance Franke-Ruta)