Chapala is preparing to welcome the Virgen de Zapopan for her third visit this year, this time commemorating the 70th anniversary of the religious icon’s first pilgrimage to the town in December 1955.
The regal image, representing the Virgin of Expectation and now commonly known as La Reina del Lago, will arrive at noon on Friday, December 19. After a brief reception at the Lienzo Charro arena, devoted pilgrims will join a procession from the north end of Avenida Madero to the waterfront Malecón, where the Virgin will be sent off on a boat excursion across the lake. A welcome Mass will follow at San Francisco Church at 1 p.m.
The faithful will receive a commemorative insignia pin at a ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Virgen de Zapopan monument on the Malecón, leading up to the jubilant 5 p.m. anniversary Mass at San Francisco parish.
The festivities recall what the faithful consider the first miracle to save Lake Chapala from extinction, attributed to La Zapopana’s divine intercession with the Almighty.
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