The tradition of "mortification of the flesh" is supposed to be one of the ways to cleanse the body of sin during Holy Week. Yet Soltepec residents have invented an unusual habit that is believed to date back to the 16th century: they whip each other instead of castigating themselves. According to shared beliefs, different forms of mortification overcome the insidious demons of softness, pessimism and absence of faith that dominate the minds of people.