TLAYUCAN

Eufemio, a farmer, lives with his wife Chabela and their little boy in a shack in Tlayucan. In order to survive, Chabela makes an enormous sacrifice and sells her piglets but the proceeds are not enough to cure her sick child. The poor farmer asks Saint Lucia if he can steal one of the pearls that adorn her votive image, but some American tourists photograph the theft. When Eufemio refuses to show Chabela what he is holding in his hand, the pearl drops out and is eaten by a piglet. The people of the village, who want to lynch Eufemio, purge the piglets and examine their excrement in order to find the pearl. But the pearl does not appear and Eufemio is imprisoned. Everyone shows their support for him and a volunteer frees him. However, the farmer has to repay the theft by working. In the end Chabela finds the pearl while she is sweeping the courtyard. Eufemio, however, tells her not to tell anyone because he is afraid of being accused another time. On seeing the pearl finally restored to its proper place, the sexton proclaims a miracle.

Director: Luis Alcoriza.
Screenplay: Luis Alcoriza, da un racconto di Jesús Murciélago Velázquez.
Director of photography: Rosalío Solano.
Art director: Jesús Bracho.
Editor: Calos Savage.
Music: Sergio Guerrero.
Sound: Javier Mateos, Enrique Rodríguez.
Cast and characters: Julio Aldama (Eufemio Zárate), Norma Angélica (Chabela), Jorge Martínez de Hoyos (Aurelio), Andrés Soler (don Tómás Cruz), Anita Blanch (Prisca), Noé Murayama (Matías), Dolores Camarillo (Dolores), Pancho Córdova (sacrestano), Juan Carlos Ortiz (Nico), Antonio Bravo (dottore).
Production company: Antonio Matouk, per Producciones Matouk.