Our Lady of Guadalupe Parade

We had experienced Our Lady of Guadalupe previously in Puerto Vallarta and even marched alongside the parade from our hotel to the church downtown. Everything seemed very organized back then; one group marched each night, routes were planned, traffic was halted. Here in Zihuatanejo is was much more chaotic. Many different groups marched from many directions. Traffic was still flowing, except when a group of marchers carrying their shrine to Guadalupe interrupted the usual semi-orderly progression. The church on the traffic circle has two entries, so some groups entered through the front door, others through the back. Mix in a large number of vendors selling every form of food and trinket and the whole thing turns into one large party.

The actual Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration is December 12th, a "solemn religious holiday in local churches and cathedrals" according to the website listing this event. The parades on this night seemed a long way from solemn. The music alone is enough to get anyone dancing. I really wanted to convey the frantic energy of this evening and was fortunate to capture the image shown here. The Bomberos are our neighbors, manning the firestation just down the block from our apartment, which makes it an even more meaningful image for me.