Zapopan Romeria

The image of the Virgin of Zapopan is small - a corn-paste figure barely 30 centimetres tall, made in the sixteenth century - and it is carried out of its basilica each May to visit parishes across the metropolitan area, spending months on the road. On 12 October it goes home, and Guadalajara turns out: the Romeria, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, moves the Virgin from the cathedral along some eight kilometres of avenue to Zapopan in a procession that begins before dawn and is routinely counted in the millions. What makes it a spectacle rather than a march is the accompaniment: hundreds of danza groups in feathered Aztec headdresses and shell anklets dancing the whole route to drums, matachines, charros on horseback, brass and mariachi, families who have walked it every year for decades, and street kitchens feeding the crowd for free from doorways. The Virgin travels in a silver carriage pulled by hand. By early afternoon the basilica plaza is packed solid and the city, having walked all morning, sits down to eat.

What you actually see

• The procession - a million-plus walking one avenue at dawn.
• The danza groups - feathered dancers drumming the whole route.
• The silver carriage - the small Virgin pulled by hand.
• The street kitchens - neighbourhoods feeding the walkers.

When to go

12 October, every year; the route starts in darkness and the basilica fills by midday. Arrive early and pick a spot on the avenue rather than trying to move with the crowd.

Honest expectations

Crowd density is extreme - not for the claustrophobic, and small children need care. Streets close and transport is disrupted city-wide. It is a religious event before a spectacle; dress and behave accordingly.

Nearby

Zapopan's basilica and Huichol art museum sit at the route's end; Guadalajara's cathedral marks its start.