Fervor and tradition: the Pilgrimage from SMA to San Juan de los Lagos

More than 5,000 pilgrims from San Miguel de Allende, accompanied by municipalities of the Bajío, began their nine-day journey to San Juan de los Lagos

Published January 25, 2025

Minutes before 6 a.m., thousands of pilgrims made their way to San Juan de los Lagos from San Miguel de Allende. Nine days they will walk driven by faith, devotion or family tradition that some have followed for several generations.

After attending mass, with a backpack on their shoulders to carry everything necessary and well warm, the pilgrims formed lines, two by two, to begin the walk along the route that year after year they travel with the fervor of prostrating themselves before the Virgin of San Juan.

The songs and prayers motivate them, so each group brings the person in charge of the loudspeaker with whom, with a single phrase, marks the song that follows so that the walkers can sing in unison the prayers dedicated to ‘San Juanita’.

With dances and drums they march from San Miguel
Dancers and groups of madmen also walk the streets to their rhythm, the former to the sound of the great drums; the latter behind the sound cart that plays happy songs to dance to. When leaving the village, dancers and madmen pause to change, put away their costumes and continue on their way.

In addition to the backpack, you have to carry a bench and hat because, although the walk begins before dawn, the sun reaches them as they reach the destination where they will camp to take a break and then start again the next day. Crosses and saints are also carried on their backs by the walkers.

Pilgrims from the Diocese of Querétaro and municipalities such as Comonfort, San Luis de La Paz and Dolores Hidalgo travel from San Miguel de Allende to join the devotees of San Miguel de Allende to form an interdiocesan pilgrimage (Celaya – Querétaro), the largest in the Bajío.

Source (sp) […]