December 12th is the date when millions of Mexicans go on pilgrimages or simply take a moment of the day to attend Mass and celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, fulfill a vow, or ask for a miracle to help them through a difficult time. However, for the residents of the Isidro Fabela neighborhood, the festivities for the “Dark-Skinned Virgin of Tepeyac” begin at least a month earlier and with expenses that can reach up to 8,000 pesos.
For 48 years, the residents of this neighborhood in the Tlalpan borough have organized themselves, along with the Santa María de Guadalupe Parish of the Eudist Fathers, to take the statue of the Virgin Mary out on a pilgrimage. The procession travels street by street, accompanied by rosaries, open-air masses, dancing, live music such as banda and mariachi bands, and food distributed from homes to give thanks and welcome the pilgrims.
This year, the “Mother of all Mexicans” left the church on November 14th to begin her journey. Residents set out from the church carrying flowers, candles, and flags from all the countries where Catholicism is practiced. As night falls, the family receiving the statue stays up all night in the street next to the platform where the religious figure is displayed.
