Guatemala Events and Festivals

3/09/2009 - 3/09/2009Pilgrimage of the Black Christ

The church in the town of Esquipulas is probably the most important Catholic shrine in Central America. It is the destination of pilgrims year-round, especially on 15 January, 9 March and St Stephen's Day. The sprawl of the town, filled with hotels and eateries to cater for the constant influx of devotees, is dominated by the four-domed basilica, immaculate by contrast to its surroundings and floodlit at night. Although this is a Catholic shrine, it is thought that the site was a sacred one long before the arrival of the Spanish. As often happens in rural Latin America, old traditions underlie the more recognisable Christian acts of faith. Villages across Guatemala send representatives to the basilica for one or more of the big occasions each year, and crowds can grow to more than 10,000, patiently snaking in a long queue for a glimpse of the Black Christ.