San Juan de los Lagos is the second most important pilgrimage site in Mexico, after the shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe. It receives seven million pilgrims per year. Richard was told that on feast days, you can hardly move. Luckily, that day it was easy to get around. Many pilgrims go the entire length of the church on their knees, rocking back and forth.
The pilgrimage is based on a miraculous statue of the virgin, brought to town by an early missionary. Perhaps the best known early story was of a circus that came to town, in which the family had a trapeze act. On that day, the seven year old daughter slipped, falling on a bed of spears set up to make their act look more death defying. The girl died instantly, but one of the local ladies brought the statue to the girl, prayed over her for hours, and she came back to life.
Richard had been wanting to go to San Juan de los Lagos for years, because he had heard that it had an impressive collection of exvotos. Richard was not disappointed. There was a side room in the Cathedral, 20 feet high, in which the exvotos completely cover the walls. More are added each day; the two men who care for the room move the older exvotos higher on the wall, and ultimately to storage.
Exvotos or retablos are a tradition found in many countries, but in Mexico they tend to be a combination of a story, folk art, and a personal thank you note to God.
Richard took many pictures of exvotos, but here he will only show a few. He plans to write a story for an internet magazine, in which he will show many more. The one below is from a circus performer, who was run over by her elephant, and spent three days in a coma. She attributes her recovery to the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos.
Richard took the first class Estrella Blanca bus home, but ended up waiting more than an hour at the Guadalajara bus station for the local bus back to the apartment. A very long day.
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