Jocotepec is in the grips of two straight weeks of unbridled festivity centered on devotion to the town’s spiritual patron El Señor del Monte (The Lord of the Mount).
The celebration changes dates from year to year, so the final day invariably falls on the third Sunday in January. It began Monday, January 7 with the solemn Juramento, a collective renewal of vows of faith dedicated to the Crucified Christ as represented by the figure of the Señor del Monte. Devotion stems from answered prayers following lethal outbreaks of cholera that hit the town in 1833 and 1850, and the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918.
The fiestas patronales are marked by religious processions around town held on weekdays at 6 p.m. Weekend times vary: on Sunday, January 13, noon; Saturday, January 19, 1 p.m.; and Sunday, January 20 the sacred patron is lowered from the altar at 4 p.m. for a huge parade that draws much of the populace and hundreds visiting pilgrims. To manifest their faith, some will make the long trek on their knees, others will walk along barefoot and blindfolded, and many will carry elaborately decorated candles.
Other happenings that will draw the local populace and hundreds of outside visitors include a bustling street fair in the town center, bull-riding contests, cock fights, cultural events, high decibel musical spectacles and gigantic nighttime fireworks displays.