San Juan de Los Lagos - Pilgrimage Site of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos

Pilgrimage Site of Our Lady of San Juan De Los Lagos

The pilgrims come to the town to pay homage to a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, but sometimes referred to by her Nahuatl name of Cihuapilli, which means "Great Lady." This image is very small, about 38cm tall, made of sugar cane paste and believed to have been brought to the area from Michoacán in the early 1500s. The first important miracle ascribed to the image dates to 1623. A family of acrobats had a show which included “flying” over a field of spear points. The seven-year-old daughter fell onto the spears during the act and immediately died. Local women brought the image to the body and prayed over it when the child revived. This miracle made the image famous. Since then, many other miracles have since been attributed to her intercession, often related to recuperation from mortal danger or dangerous illnesses.

The original hermitage that stored the image was built in 1543, with the first chapel dedicated specifically to the image build in the 1638. The current basilica/cathedral was begun in 1732 and was finished except for the bell towers in 1779. This church was made possible by a steady flow of offerings to the image that continued from colonial times until the Mexican Revolution. This war reduced the flow of pilgrims and gifts but both returned after and have kept the town and image a major religious attraction for the country. In 1904 the Pope granted permission for the crowning of the image. The church was elevated to a minor Basilica in 1947, and to a Cathedral in 1972. Pope John Paul II came to San Juan de los Lagos to visit the image in 1990. The statue of the virgin was restored by sculptors in 2005.

San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited pilgrimage site in Mexico, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City . It is an important tourist attraction for the state of Jalisco. Hundreds visit the basilica every day, with estimates of yearly visits usually numbering around seven million, but estimated at nine million for 2009. On religious holidays, the churched and its immediate surroundings are packed. The most important days for this image are February 2, most of May, August 15 and December 8, those times associated with Mary. Two million come during Candlemas alone. At peak visitation times, the crowd spill out from the basilica and crowd onto the streets of the town. Church authorities indicate that there is a severe need to improve facilities for the pilgrims and provide more space. During peak periods, demand for hotel space far exceeds supply and the municipally opens shelters with basic services. The shelter has been constructed to accommodate 20,000 pilgrims but it is insufficient at peak times.

Organized groups may walk or bike for hundreds of miles, but most arrive by car or bus. Many pilgrims will cross the entire nave in their knees, and most are there to fill a promise to the Virgin image. Most pilgrims come to “repay” the image for a miracle received, an obligation called a “manda.” According to popular belief, those who fail to fulfill a “manda” to the Virgin risk being turned into stone. One of the common actions of pilgrims is to leave a small image called a votive painting for the image. Traditionally, these are images hand painted onto wood or metal depicting a miracle attributed to the Virgin image. Most have details with dates and names. So many have been left here that only a small fraction can been seen at any time, those most recently deposited. The atrium of the basilica is often filled with traditional dancers done as an offering to the Virgin. For Candelmas, the most important day associated with this image, the morning begins with the singing of Las Mañanitas, traditional dancers and the sharing of tamales and atole .