What a way to start the day! At about 4 AM, the hills came alive with the sound of music, numerous bands, and cohetes, fireworks, as people celebrated the Virgin of Juquila. It sounded like a war zone only with happy music. Three hours later and it is all still happening, really an amazing few hours as the sounds come from all around me. It is one of those times when living out in the country is magical.
La Virgen of Juquila is the unofficial patron saint of Oaxaca and many, many people make a pilgrimage to visit her site.
The
stories of the origins of the Virgin of Juquila are a bit convoluted,
mysteriously clouded with the haze of time and myth. However, most
accounts tell of a Dominican priest, Frey Juan Jordan, who brought the
small figure with him from the Philippines. The exact date of their
arrival is uncertain, but when he left in 1558 for another parish, he
gave the figure to his young man servant who lived in the nearby town
of Amialtepec. Word of her miracles spread and in 1630, a small shrine
was built for her, affording all villagers a view. Three years later,
the entire town of Amialtepec burned to the ground. From inside the
inferno, they say, could be heard the wee voice of the tiny Virgin
calling for help. While all around her fires blazed, destroying the
entire town, the carved wooden figure survived, scorched a deep brown,
the color of the Chatina people.
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