For most people living on the American continent, October 12 is Dia de la Raza (or Columbus Day), a solemn holiday marking that culture-shattering autumn day when Cristobal Colon first set foot in the New World.
In Guadalajara, the memory of the Italian navigator is dismissed without sympathy, as all eyes turn to a venerated 400-year-old religious statue, whose mere presence on the streets next Thursday will draw more than one million spectators (Catholic Church leaders say they are hoping for nearly two million this year.)
Local Catholics adore La Zapopana (the Virgin of Zapopan) and believe she is an embodiment of the Virgin Mary. The icon is carved from corn husk and resembles a child’s doll. She is always immaculately dressed in shiny finery and encased in glass.
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