Lash of the Penitentes

Los Hermanos de la Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Spanish: 'The Brothers of the Pious Fraternity of Our Father Jesus the Nazarene'), also known as Los Penitentes, Los Hermanos, the Brotherhood of our Father Jesus of Nazareth and the Penitente Brotherhood, is a semi-secret lay confraternity of Hispano Catholic men active in Northern and Central New Mexico and southern Colorado. The confraternity's origins are not known, though most scholars agree that it arose in reaction to neglect of the region by religious authorities between the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Penitentes first became widely known during New Mexico's territorial period for their practice of physical penance during Holy Week, for which they were targeted by the institutional Catholic church and vilified in popular literature. Membership in the confraternity peaked in the late 19th century, but Penitente activities continue in the 21st century.