“El Nazareno” by Ismael Rivera recounts Rivera’s pilgrimage to Portobelo, Panama, for the procession honoring the Cristo Negro, a life-sized Black Christ believed to have miraculously emerged from the sea in the seventeenth century. Revered as a protector of the forgotten and marginalized, El Cristo Negro came to symbolize spiritual refuge for those historically excluded from the colonial New World.

Through its lyrics, the song calls for compassion, solidarity, and responsibility toward one’s neighbors and community. Degen interprets this message as a universal call to action, a reminder that individuals must use the tools available to them, in Rivera’s case, music to uplift and protect one another. The work reflects a belief in collective care, mutual support, and the necessity of moving forward together through shared humanity.