On Good Friday, there are two major Catholic rituals celebrated in two different churches at different hours. One is the encounter of Jesus with the Virgin Mother on the road to Mount Calvary during the Stations of the Cross that takes place in several streets surrounding the jardin. …
Good Good Friday
I lucked out and was asked again to participate in the Good Friday procession this year plus I got a promotion! No more being sandwiched between sweaty lads carrying Jesus, who is living proof that with his sinewy physique muscle weighs more than fat. And don’t …
Good Good Friday
I lucked out and was asked again to participate in the Good Friday procession this year plus I got a promotion! No more being sandwiched between sweaty lads carrying Jesus, who is living proof that with his sinewy physique muscle weighs more than fat. And don’t …
Popsicles!
The Friday before Good Friday is for Our Lady of Sorrows. It acknowledges Mary’s seven sorrows stretching from Jesus’ presentation at the temple and culminate in her pain at losing her only child. Altars throughout town contain symbolic elements of mourning such as sour oranges, chamomile, wheat and purple …
Stations of the Cross
During Holy Week are countless processions devoted to depicting Jesus’ death. One of the oldest, that started in Colonial times, follows the route of the Stations of the Cross built into the buildings of San Miguel. The stations start from the Santa Escuela (next to …
Flying Mary
Our Lady of Loreto is an image of Mary that graces the city from many niches and doors. Dressed in a wide dress, in the shape of a fan, Mary holds the baby Jesus. Mary’s dress features grapes and wheat depicting the Eucharist. Her towering …
Rising Value of San Miguel Art
A type of art seen all over town called painted wood, or polychrome, statues have entered the world stage as desired collectibles in museums and private collections. Why? What does that mean to the art scene in San Miguel de Allende? Up until the 16th century wood, terracotta and alabaster were …
Why be Loco?
There is a legendary history behind Dia de Locos (Day of the Crazies) involving the viceroy, birds and the gardeners of San Miguel. Basically, a friar went to mass on St. Anthony’s day leaving his orchard unattended. Expecting his fruit to be pecked he was surprised to return to …
Geography Based Catholism
My pal that died in February and I often teased each other how Catholicism was different here than up North. She refused to believe insisting ‘Catholic’ means universal. On one hand she was correct. I could walk into a mass in Tagalog, or any language I don’t know, …
Spooky Back Stage Leon
Today my dance group waltzed out to Leon to perform, I thought, at the Senior Center there. Instead it was a day of constant surprises. We loaded onto the bus and I got the rear seat far left. I was fine with that as I sometimes get …