Residents of Petare, one of Caracas' poorest neighbourhoods, gathered on Good Friday (April 3) to witness the 40th anniversary of their community's annual reenactment of the Passion of Christ, with more than 120 actors depicting Jesus' final hours through the neighbourhood's streets.

Roman soldiers whipped actors playing Jesus and two condemned men, who carried wooden crosses to a hilltop for crucifixion, as emotional spectators looked on.

Parish priest Alexis Montecinos said the production has grown over four decades, with improvements to scenes, costumes and dialogue to give it "greater theological and pastoral reach for the whole community."

Hairdresser Eucarys Galvan called it "something historic," adding that each year the crowds grow larger to watch what has become a landmark event in El Morro de Petare.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (APRIL 3, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF COMMUNITY ACTORS DURING THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS AT EL MORRO DE PETARE NEIGHBOURHOOD

2. VARIOUS OF ACTOR PLAYING JESUS RECEIVING LASHES DURING THE VIA CRUCIS

3. PERSON CRYING WHILE WATCHING THE VIA CRUCIS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PARISH PRIEST OF NUESTRA SENORA DE FATIMA IN PETARE, ALEXIS MONTECINOS, SAYING:

"We are very pleased to be celebrating with the young people this year the 40th anniversary of the Via Crucis (in Petare). It has been a whole process of improving the scenes, the settings, the costumes, and even the dialogues themselves, which we have been working on so that they can have greater theological and pastoral reach for the whole community."

5. VARIOUS OF ACTOR PLAYING JESUS DURING THE CRUCIFIXION REENACTMENT

6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING THE VIA CRUCIS

7. VARIOUS OF ACTOR PLAYING JESUS WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS OF PETARE DURING THE VIA CRUCIS

8. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS OF PETARE DURING THE VIA CRUCIS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN TEACHER, JERSEY ALMANZOR, SAYING:

"Well, year after year it is exciting to know that where we live these events take place and we have the presence of many important people who commemorate what Jesus did for us."

10. VARIOUS OF ACTOR PLAYING JESUS FALLING DURING THE VIA CRUCIS

11. VARIOUS OF ACTOR PLAYING JESUS DURING THE VIA CRUCIS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HAIRDRESSER, EUCARYS GALVAN, SAYING:

"This has happened every year, this is something historic that they always do and each day they improve it. It has truly always been a spectacle — it is wonderful that every year people come in large numbers. Each day more people join to watch this Via Crucis they hold here, which truly feels like something historic from El Morro (an area in the Petare neighbourhood)."

13. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT EL MORRO DE PETARE WATCHING THE VIA CRUCIS