Faithful Catholics to flock to Virgin’s ‘homecoming’
Religion and politics meet once again on Saturday, October 12, when vast crowds will gather in Guadalajara. More than a million people – some say two or three – will jam the streets to celebrate the return of the Virgin of Zapopan to her 18th century basilica and in somewhat more subdued festivities a handful of dignitaries and the Spanish and Italian consuls will mark the anniversary of the day Christopher Columbus is said to have sighted land in what he thought was the Far East. The religious celebrations will eclipse the civic ones by far. 
Unfortunately for Columbus, the anniversary of his “discovery” is also a reminder here of Spain’s bloody conquest of Latin America’s native peoples. For the Virgin of Zapopan, on the other hand, the day celebrates the many miracles attributed to her.
Guadalajara’s answer to Oktoberfest, the annual Festival de Cerveza, returns from October 18 to 20 at the Estadio Omnilife.
The Fiestas de Octubre got off to a ‘thrilling’ start Sunday with a lively parade that brought downtown Guadalajara to a standstill. Dancers, including this Michael Jackson look-a-like, mixed with marching bands and gloriously decorated floats to create a carnival atmosphere that will continue throughout the month at the Benito Juarez fairgrounds to the north of the city.