Millions mark Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe Day, but calls for a truce in drug violence go unheeded

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Millions of worshipers gathered to mark Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexicoin honor of the patron saint of the country. But the Roman Catholic Church’s calls for a truce in Mexico’s ongoing cartel violence apparently went unheeded as more bodies were found in the country on Thursday.

Huge crowds gathered early, singing the traditional Mexican nativity song “Las mañanitas” at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to honor the virgin on the 493rd anniversary of her appearance in 1531.

Mariachi bands and traditional dance groups were also present at the basilica, which has a mix of modern and colonial architecture.

María Luisa Vázquez Mendoza, a 33-year-old housewife, drove 16 hours from neighboring Mexico to visit the basilica in the northern part of the capital and give thanks “for another year of life and that my family is well “.

“You feel joy in your heart when you see the gates of the basilica so close,” said Vázquez Mendoza. “Your body completely relaxes. You no longer feel pain or fatigue.”

Earlier this week, the Mexican Council of Bishops wrote an editorial calling for “an end to armed violence and hostile statements.”

“In a country where violence has left painful wounds in families and polarization among the public, this is a proposal to reflect and act in favor of reconciliation and human dignity,” the council wrote on the church’s website , From Fe.

But in the north-central state of Guanajuato — which has the highest number of homicides among Mexico’s 32 states — the day was possibly even more violent than usual.

Police and prosecutors said a total of 15 bodies were found on the streets of various cities in Guanajuato, warning that the death toll could be higher. In a grisly location, a pile of human remains was discovered on a highway near the town of Salvatierra, but authorities were still investigating how many victims it contained.

Local media said parts of dismembered human bodies were left in black garbage bags in the back of a truck with a banner signed by a drug cartel.

In Guanajuato, in 2023, there were an average of 8.5 homicides per day, according to official figures.

Vázquez Mendoza said he hoped the call for a truce would influence people “to be a little more humane, more aware.”

More than 11 million worshipers visited the Basilica in the days leading up to the annual celebration of Mexico’s patron saint, authorities said.

Many had walked from distant villages, others cycled or bused to reach the enormous terrace of the Basilica, where a sea of ​​tents held pilgrims who had slept overnight to greet the Virgin in the morning.

The cold temperature, the long walks and the wait to see the Virgin’s cloak inside the Basilica did not deter them. Many of the pilgrims walked the last kilometer or so carrying flowers or large paintings of the virgin.

According to church tradition, in 1531, the dark-skinned virgin appeared to the indigenous peasant Juan Diego and her image was printed on his mantle, which is displayed inside the church. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.

Traditionally, those who sought the help of the Virgin of Guadalupe come in appreciation. Some, like street vendor Christofer Hernández, completed the final stretch to the Basilica barefoot or on their knees.

Arturo Rivas was one of 200 people who made the bicycle pilgrimage from the nearby state of Tlaxacala, a ride of more than 60 miles (100 kilometers).

“We’re excited to come year after year,” Rivas said. “That’s what our parents taught us.”

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