Señor de los Milagros

The devotion began with a wall painting made in the seventeenth century by an Angolan man, enslaved, in the Pachacamilla quarter of Lima; the earthquake of 1655 destroyed everything around it and the wall stood. Attempts to erase the image failed, veneration spread, and the Señor de los Milagros became the principal devotion of the city. Each October a copy of the image, on a heavy silver-mounted litter, is carried out of Las Nazarenas church on several days and taken through central Lima on routes that take many hours, borne by brotherhood members in purple habits, with women's groups carrying incense and singing, and hundreds of thousands of people in purple lining the streets or walking with it. Turrón de Doña Pepa, a layered anise pastry with syrup, is sold everywhere and is eaten only in this month. It is the largest religious procession in the Americas.

What you actually see

• The litter - a heavy silver-mounted anda carried in shifts by brotherhood members.
• The purple - habits and clothing filling the streets across the whole month.
• The origin - an image painted by an enslaved Angolan man that survived the 1655 quake.
• The turrón - the anise and syrup pastry sold only in October.

When to go

October, with the main processions on the 18th, 19th and 28th. Several hours for each; routes are published in advance. Get into position early.

Honest expectations

Enormous crowds, closed streets and heavy congestion across central Lima for the whole month. Processions run for many hours at walking pace. This is devotion, not a parade - behave accordingly. Pickpocketing is common in the crush.

Nearby

Las Nazarenas church is the starting point; the Plaza Mayor is on several routes.