from Atotonilco, to San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende, Sunday, March 25th
The all night procession of the statues of Senor de las columnas & the Virgen de Dolores (mary of sorrows) leaves Atotonilco and travels by foot, all night long to to San Miguel de Allende, where it ends up on Avenida Independencia, where the statues are unveiled.
At 4 am, the statues arrive in San Miguel to an array of fireworks, rockets, music and people. Avenida Independencia has been carpeted with greenery, flowers and paper decorations.
The fireworks are persistent from 4 am on and no one can sleep, so the streets begin to fill with people who await the walkers from Atotonilco.
At 7 am the procession begins, with Judas, Roman soldiers, Angels, priests and the statues follow.
Senior de las columnas - Jesus, bloody from flagellation, leaning on an urn and mounted on a frame that is laden with flowers, carried by local parishoners.
Followed by the Virgen de Dolores, Mary of sorrows. She is wrapped in a deep purple velvel cloak, and carried on a pallet of flowers, with a group of women to hold her long cloak, following behind her.
Other statues and saints follow
As Mary passes, the people fall in behind, and the procession becomes less a parade than a participatory event with everyone walking, singing, praying together.
For about a half mile, the procession route is lined with floral arches and is decorated to the sky with balloons, flowers and garlands, cut paper decorations, both hand made and purchased
As the route heads into town to the San Juan de Dios church, the symbolic crown of thorns is represented by the welcome arch at the entry to San Antonio Abad, the final route to the church, where the statues will reside, and be carried throughout the town during the two weeks leading up to Easter Sunday.
As the procession moves through the streets, people gather the flowers & paper decorations and carry them to the church to be placed around the statues.
The entry is carpeted with colored sawdust and flower murals, awaiting the statues, priests and parishoners
At the front of the procession are small girls dressed as angels.
The bishop, priests and altar boys follow
Roman soldiers
El Senor
La Virgen de Dolores
Men from the campo singing Ave Maria
Upon the arrival in the church courtyard, purple and white confetti is thrown from the church towers
The statues are lined in the courtyard while mass is given
The people are gathered to hear mass and celebrate
© All rights reserved, April 2006, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art
