San Francisco de Yare

On Corpus Christi the brotherhood at San Francisco de Yare puts on red costumes and horned papier-mâché masks and dances backwards through the streets to the church, where they kneel before the sacrament in an act of submission that ends the day. The tradition goes back to the eighteenth century and exists in a number of Venezuelan towns; Yare's is the largest and best known. Venezuela's Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi were inscribed by UNESCO in 2012.

The main sights

• The horned masks - papier-mache devil masks made and kept by the brotherhood.
• The backward dance - the devils dancing in reverse through the streets to the church.
• The submission - the kneeling before the sacrament that ends the day.
• The brotherhood - the cofradia that maintains the costumes and the rules.

When to go

Corpus Christi, which falls in late May or June depending on Easter, is the only day the full ceremony happens. Preparations run in the days before. Outside that there is a small museum in the town.

Before you go

The event happens on one day a year and the town is unremarkable outside it. Crowds are heavy and viewing space along the route is limited. Accommodation is in Caracas rather than locally.

Nearby

Caracas is north, and El Hatillo is beyond it.

Key facts