The city is filled with color, music, and devotion in one of the most emblematic festivities, with dances and solemn masses in honor of the venerated image.
On Friday, March 7, San Miguel de Allende is dressed in tradition and religious fervor with the celebration of the Lord of the Conquest, one of the most emblematic festivities of the city. The event brings together hundreds of faithful and dancers from different parts of Mexico, who pay homage to this venerated image through dances, prayers and the Holy Eucharist.
Devotion to the Lord of the Conquest has deep roots in the region’s evangelic history. According to oral tradition, the image arrived in these lands in the 16th century, when Fray Francisco Doncel commissioned a crucifix from the sculptor Matías de la Cerda in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
During his journey to San Felipe, the friar was attacked by Chichimeca Indians, and hid the image before dying. Years later, an indigenous convert to Catholicism found it and took it to San Miguel, where it became a symbol of faith.
However, historical records show inconsistencies in the chronology of these events. Documents indicate that Friar Francisco Doncel was the parish priest of San Felipe in 1575, decades after the date on which his martyrdom supposedly occurred.
In addition, two images of the Lord of the Conquest have been identified, one in San Felipe and another in San Miguel de Allende, suggesting that oral tradition may have mixed up events.
The festivities begin on Thursday, March 6 with a vigil in honor of the image. From the early hours of Friday, the streets of San Miguel will be filled with color with the arrival of groups of dancers and Concheros, who perform the traditional “Danzas de los Concheros,” an expression of religious syncretism that combines indigenous customs and the Catholic faith.
At noon, the image is taken to the parish of San Miguel Arcángel, where a solemn mass is celebrated. Afterwards, the faithful follow the tradition of praying, in reference to the years of Christ’s life.
Beyond the historical accounts, the festivity of the Lord of the Conquest represents a link between past and present, a manifestation of San Miguel de Allende´s cultural and religious identity that remains alive in the hearts of its inhabitants.
San Miguel Times
Newsroom
