Coronation of the Virgin of Juquila
THE PAPAL CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN OF JUQUILA ON February 20, 2014 is part of a tradition. Twenty-six Mexican images of the Virgin have received this honor since the Virgin of Guadalupe was crowned in 1895. Over two million pilgrims visit the Juquila shrine each year.
It was a major event in Juquila that included the Symphonic Orchestra of Oaxaca. The Papal Nuncio Christophe Pierre represented the pope. Paving was completed on the highway connecting Rio Grande to Juquila. (The shrine is now only two hours from Puerto.)
In 2013, the Bishop of Puerto Escondido, Pedro Vázquez Villalobos, explained to us the importance of Mary in Mexico by noting that Mexicans are much closer to their mothers than to their fathers. “The mother is the center of the family. Our mothers keep us going.” He noted that when we want something from our father, we ask our mother to intercede. This, he says, is Mary’s role as intercessor. He said that without the cult of the Virgin there would be no Church in Mexico. But, he stressed, “The devotion to the Virgin brings us to Jesus Christ so that we do what he tells us.”
December 8, the day of the Virgin of Juquila, is when the largest number of pilgrims arrive, be it by bus, bicycle, in autos or on foot. The shrine is also crowded on 3-day-weekends and school vacations. We missed the experience of visiting Juquila with thousands of devotees by last going on a Monday in August, 2024.
