Rodolfo Galindo arrived at the Basilica of Guadalupe a day before the celebration of the Virgin. After three hours of pedaling his bicycle he entered the atrium of the Marian temple accompanied by 25 cyclists who make up the Cocoris Ixtapaluca group.
He commented that although the measures against COVID-19 have been relaxed, it is still scary to enter the crowd of people, so he prefers to take precautions and cover his nose and mouth.
“It is still scary to enter through the COVID, but faith in the Virgin brings us here year after year, so we just have to take the appropriate measures and take care of ourselves,” he said.
Thousands of believers arrive at La Villa, prior to the traditional Mañanitas to the Virgin. As of 8:00 p.m., only yesterday, Saturday, 377,245 pilgrims had arrived, according to data from the Mayor’s Office of Gustavo A. Madero.
Unlike last year, when the pandemic was still at its peak, the measures to avoid contagion were relaxed. There is no requirement to wear masks in the temple. The constant sanitization at the entrances and the free delivery of antibacterial gel also disappeared.
What does not disappear is the faith and emotion of those who manage to overcome their tiredness and arrive on their knees, in processions, by bicycle or walking to the Basilica of Guadalupe to give thanks for another year of life, for good health conditions, to fulfill an errand or simply to visit the Virgin on her day.
Some pilgrims rest while they recover their strength and get ready to stay in the religious precinct, even enduring the cold. For this Sunday, the Secretariat of Integral Risk Management and Civil Protection activated a yellow alert due to the forecast of temperatures between four and five degrees at dawn.
The tradition of visiting the Guadalupana would not be complete without commerce. The Secretariat of Economic Development (Sedeco) estimates that this religious celebration will bring in 225 million pesos.
Selling outside the Basilica is not only a business, but also a family tradition for several generations, agreed Minerva Silva and Fernando Camarena, who have their shops selling religious articles and expect good sales for the celebrations of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Minerva Silva emphasized that this year there is much to be thankful for, since it has been difficult economically. “First we have to be thankful that we are alive and that we have come out ahead after a complicated pandemic“.
Doña Minerva sells from t-shirts for around 60 pesos, sarapes for 280 pesos, to an image of the Virgin for 4,500 pesos.
Fernando Camarena is another merchant. He remembered his wife, who has passed away and with whom he shared 50 years. His life partner was the one who encouraged him to have a shop, she had been selling products in the Basilica since she was a child.
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