There will be very specific days and moments that we will remember from our 4 month journey in Mexico. Today is one of those days.
We read about the Festividad El Señor de la Conquista, and knew that it was a very important celebration in San Miguel de Allende. What we didn't expect was a full on assault of the senses.
We didn't know the schedule of the day, nor what was actually going to happen. So, after breakfast, we decided to head towards the city center to see if anything was happening. As soon as we turned out of our neighborhood, we saw the beginning of a procession. Hundreds of people dressed in a wide variety of traditional, ancient costumes were walking up the street towards the city center. We stood and watched them all go by - it was incredible. And, it was only the beginning.
We quickly walked to the main square to see what was happening. Along the way, the groups would start dancing and performing in the street.
The main square was immediately overtaken by different groups, dressed in traditional clothes, dancing to very loud drumming. It was happening in every corner of the square, with different groups dancing to their own drummers. It was both incredible and overwhelming, as we could not figure out which troupe to watch. Come to find out, these are dance troupes that have traveled from all over Mexico for today's event.
The sights. The sounds. The smell of burning incense. You could feel the pounding of the drums travel all the way through your body. It was unlike anything we have ever experienced.
The costumes everyone wore were unique and incredible.
To be honest, after a couple hours, it became too intense. The drumming did me in, so we had to escape to a slightly quieter restaurant to grab a bite to eat, and then return home for a bit of peace and quiet.
Later in the afternoon, we heard drumming from our terrace, so we headed back down to find a long parade of each dance troupe, complete with drumming and dancing. At the head of the parade were two guys setting off loud fireworks to announce their arrival.
While this is a massive celebration of ancient culture and heritage, it is also a very religious ceremony, celebrating a specific cross from the main cathedral, which was featured at the beginning of the parade.
We arrived back to the main square, and there were LOTS more dancers, and LOTS more people watching the festivities. The drumming was incredible. The dancing was energetic. It was all so mesmerizing.
As the sun was setting, the views of the cathedral became more and more dramatic.
We have been in Mexico since 30 December, and this has to be one of the best days of not only our stay here, but of all our travels. It was such a unique and wonderful experience, and made us realize again how fortunate we are to be able to witness such amazing experiences.
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