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Features|Religion

Photos: Mexico’s Guadalupe pilgrimage draws millions of devotees

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the second-most-visited Catholic shrine in the world after St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

A pilgrim stands next to an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe
A pilgrim stands next to an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe outside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City on December 12 [Nicolas Asfouri/AFP]
Published On 12 Dec 202212 Dec 2022
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Millions of Catholic pilgrims gathered at a basilica in Mexico City to mark the annual Virgin of Guadalupe feast day, with crowds camping overnight on Sunday after walking for days to reach the shrine in a centuries-old act of religious devotion.

The festival features two days of lavish pageantry capped by a midnight mass led by Mexico’s senior archbishop. Many pilgrims arrive at the historic basilica on their knees in prayer or carrying statues of the Virgin.

Jam-packed roads around the basilica were lined with vendors selling mementoes, including rosaries, and even tattoo artists inking religious art, with others handing out free food and drinks to weary walkers in the final stretch.

Maximillia, 44, who did not give a second name, walked for two days with 22 family members, taking turns pushing her young grandchild in a stroller.

“It’s such a great feeling. We come to give thanks,” she said. “Our faith motivates us.”

Two teenage cousins walking hand in hand said their school gives them the day off on Monday for the extended national holiday.

An estimated 3.1 million pilgrims arrived at the basilica in recent days, Mexico City government officials said on Sunday, with still more expected on Monday.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the second-most-visited Catholic shrine in the world, after St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Italy.

It was constructed next to a hill in northern Mexico City where Catholics believe Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, appeared to an Aztec man in 1531, an event that is credited with launching Mexico’s Catholic conversion.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw the basilica close down for the first time in 500 years in 2020. Last year, attendance in the first half of December rose to at least 3.5 million, according to officials, with this year’s pilgrimage expected to hit a new record.

A pilgrim crawls on his knees
A pilgrim crawls on his knees prior to the celebration of the annual Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the anniversary of one of several apparitions of the Virgin Mary witnessed by an Indigenous Mexican man named Juan Diego in 1531. [Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters]
Pilgrims walk towards the Basilica
Pilgrims walk towards the Basilica in Mexico City prior to the celebration of the annual Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. [Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters]
Pilgrimage parishioners arrive
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrived at the Basilica of Guadalupe. The COVID-19 pandemic had curtailed the number of pilgrims over the past two years. [Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE]
A person rests as pilgrims camp
Pilgrims set up a camp in the Basilica's square, with many arriving days before the celebrations. [Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters]
Devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe walk to the Basilica
Devotees walk to the Basilica - the roads surrounding it were lined with vendors selling mementoes. [Ginnette Riquelme/AP Photo]
Pilgrims sleep on the floor
Pilgrims sleep on the floor outside the Basilica of Guadalupe. Many make the journey as an expression of gratitude for miracles that they believe the Virgin Mary has brought into their lives. [Nicolas Asfouri/AFP]
Devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe walk to the Basilica
Devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe walk to the Basilica to give thanks or worship a day before her national celebration. [Ginnette Riquelme/AP Photo]
Pilgrims rest near the Basilica
Pilgrims rest near the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City early on Monday. [Aurea Del Rosario/AP Photo]
Dancers from Elotepec, in Veracruz state, perform as they arrive
Dancers from Elotepec, in Veracruz state, Mexico, perform as they arrive at the Basilica of Guadalupe in the Mexican capital. [Aurea Del Rosario/AP Photo]
For some, the pilgrimage is an emotional experience. [Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE]
Pilgrimage parishioners carry statues
Parishioners carry statues as they arrive. [Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE]
Pilgrims arrive to celebrate 491 years of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Millions of pilgrims have come to the Basilica after sanitary measures. The pandemic had limited devotion to 'The Mother of Mexico' in previous years. [Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE]


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