Around a million pilgrims arrived this week in the Jalisco town of San Juan de los Lagos, home to a venerated image of the Virgin Mary (La Virgen de la Candelaria) believed to have been responsible for a series of miracles dating back to the early 17th century.
While the celebration in San Juan attracts fewer people than the annual peregrinacion for the Virgin of Zapopan held each October in Guadalajara, it is not surpassed in an outpouring of devotion. Some 45 to 60 columns of believers, representing scores of municipalities from as many as 21 Mexican states, compose a National Caravan of Faith, the Republic’s largest pilgrimage on foot.
In order to reach San Juan in time for the February 2 Candlemas Day ceremonies, columns from the State of Mexico traditionally start their long trek the first week of January. Groups from more nearby places such as San Miguel de Allende usually begin their rigorous highland hikes shortly after mid-January.
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