The city is filled with color, music and devotion in one of the most emblematic festivities, with dances and solemn masses in honor of the venerated image

Published March 5, 2025

This Friday, March 7, San Miguel de Allende dresses up in tradition and religious fervor with the celebration of the Lord of the Conquest, one of the most emblematic festivities of the city. The event brings together hundreds of faithful and dancers from different parts of Mexico, who pay tribute to this venerated image through dances, prayers and the Holy Eucharist.

Devotion to the Lord of the Conquest has deep roots in the evangelizing history of the region. According to oral tradition, the image arrived in these lands in the sixteenth century, when Fray Francisco Doncel commissioned a crucifix from the sculptor Matías de la Cerda in Pátzcuaro. During his journey to San Felipe, the friar was attacked by Chichimeca Indians, hiding the image before he died. Years later, an indigenous convert to Catholicism found it and took it to San Miguel, where it became a symbol of faith.

However, historical records suggest inconsistencies in the chronology of these events. Documents indicate that Fray Francisco Doncel was parish priest of San Felipe in 1575, decades after the date on which his martyrdom supposedly occurred. In addition, two images of the Lord of the Conquest have been identified, one in San Felipe and one in San Miguel, suggesting that oral tradition may have mixed events.

The festivities begin on Thursday, March 6 with a vigil in honor of the image. From the early hours of Friday, the streets of San Miguel are filled with color with the arrival of groups of dancers and concheros, who perform the traditional “Dances of the Concheros”, an expression of the religious syncretism between the indigenous culture and the Catholic faith.

At noon, the image is taken to the parish of San Miguel Arcángel, where a solemn mass is celebrated. Subsequently, the faithful fulfill the tradition of praying, in reference to the years of Christ’s life.

Beyond the historical stories, the festivity of the Lord of the Conquest represents a link between the past and the present, a manifestation of the cultural and religious identity of San Miguel de Allende that is still alive in the hearts of its inhabitants.

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