By: Laura Nazimiec
Easter Holy Week or Semana Santa is celebrated in cities and towns throughout Mexico with dramatic processions and passion plays. Mexico is a predominantly Catholic country and religious traditions play an important role in Mexican culture. Viernes Santo, or Good Friday, is one of the most important days of the Holy Week celebrations with solemn processions and recreations of the crucifixion.
One of the country’s largest passion plays is acted out in the Ixtapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City, not far from where I’m living in Santiago Zapotitlán. On Good Friday Ixtapalapa attracts more than a million spectators. The passion play in Ixtapalapa is a realistic reenactment of the crucifixion that takes place on the Cerro de la Estrella, or Hill of the Star, which happens to be situated above an ancient pagan archaeological site.
In the city of San Luis Potosí, located 261 miles north of Mexico City, an elaborate Procesíon de Silencio, or Silent Procession, on Good Friday celebrates the Passion of Christ and the march to crucifixion. With more than 2,000 participants, the Silent Procession in San Luis Potosí has been compared to the ceremony that takes place in Sevilla, Spain. The Procesíon de Silencio is the reason I traveled to San Luis Potosí. A slow, silent and somber march through the streets of the historic city center, it’s said to be one of the most memorable Holy Week celebrations in the country.
In the days leading up to Good Friday the city of San Luis Potosí hosts outdoor fairs featuring local cuisine and musical performances. During this time the normally quiet streets become a bustling marketplace of crafts, candy displays and outdoor food stands. Micheladas and regional specialties such as enchiladas potosinas are available at the city’s countless food stalls and street performers can be found around every corner.
I arrived early Wednesday evening and checked into the Hotel de Gante in a room with views overlooking the central Plaza de Armas. I had barely settled in when I happened to glance out the window to see the city’s cathedral illuminated in a dramatic light show depicting images of Jesus and the Virgin of Guadalupe. I joined the crowds already forming in the Plaza de Armas and watched the end of the show, then headed out to explore the city.
San Luis Potosí is a colonial city with a lovely downtown area. It is the capital city of the Mexican state of the same name. The historic city center is made up of four large plazas that are connected to one another by narrow pedestrianized cobblestone streets. The entire downtown area can be easily explored on foot. San Luis Potosí enjoys a year-round mild climate. Numerous reasonably priced open air restaurants and bars overlook the plazas, with nightly live music they make for a pleasant night out on the town.
One thing that doesn’t change regardless of where I go in Mexico is the kindness of the people. The majority of Mexicans are overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming, always curious to know where you’re coming from and especially pleased to find that you’re enjoying their country. The people of San Luis Potosí were especially kind. Maybe it had something to do with the holidays but it seemed as if they wanted me to love their beautiful city just as much as they do, and I think I just might.
On my final night in San Luis Potosí I lined up alongside thousands to observe the Procesíon de Silencio. The people around me spoke Spanish in hushed voices and tried to remain silent, though I quickly realized that the procession itself is far from silent. Drum beats sounded, trumpets flared and sticks hit the cobblestone streets keeping the pace of the procession.
Groups of men dressed in distinctive cone shaped hoods and robes carried wooden crosses and platforms displaying images of Christ. Women and children followed behind with candles and crosses. Many of them barefoot and shackled in chains. It was emotional, striking and an impressive display of faith that I likely won’t soon forget. The procession eventually arrives in the Plaza de Armas and passes in front of the cathedral before drawing to an end late in the evening.
The following morning I checked out of the hotel and made my way 2.5 km outside of the city center to the long-distance bus terminal where I boarded a bus for the five hour ride back to Mexico City. After arriving at Mexico City’s north terminal I traveled two more hours by metro and local bus to my apartment in the Santiago Zapotitlán neighborhood in the far southeast borough of the city. A few days in San Luis Potosí and I was rested, rejuvenated and ready to get back to life as usual in one of the world’s largest and most populated cities.
About the author:
Laura is a writer based in Mexico City. Originally from Philadelphia, she has traveled extensively in Mexico, Central and South America. She writes about travel and living in Mexico on her personal blog http://slowlyshegoes.blogspot.com.
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