To honor La Virgen de Guadalupe--Queen of the Heavens and the Americas--people from all over Mexico run to the churches dedicated to her.
The Templo de Guadalupe is a few blocks from our house, so for the last week (leading up to her feast day, December 12) we'd seen groups of torch-carrying pilgrims running, running, running. And singing, sometimes, too!
They run in relays--some for just a few kilometers, but some for hundreds of miles. Some antorcha pilgrims keep it up day and night, sleeping in support trucks...I saw one group actually heading out of town, bound for Mexico City's Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe.
Some of the pilgrims choose to run the Antorcha Guadalupana barefoot. Most arrive at the Templo covered with soot from the kerosene torches, dirt from the roads. Everyone approaches the final hill up to the church with renewed energy and stronger voices; they're singing or doing call-and-response praises for La Virgen.
¡Viva Maria! ¡Viva!
It's an amazing sight and a very humbling expression of reverence.
Twice earlier in the week, we tried to go inside the Templo de Guadalupe, but it was always too crowded. On the evening December 12, we could only barely squeeze in the door after half an hour of waiting in the crowd.
We came back outside and Wilhelmina took this last picture of the river of light leading up to the church.
Amazing.
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