This is where they keep Juan Diego's miraculous tilma. You may recognise it from the painting in El Farolito. A friend of mine refers to it as Mexican Space Mountain.
At 4:30 a.m. this Saturday, most of you will more than likely be asleep or some may be finally out of booze, losing steam and heading home. A lot of Mexicanos, however, will be on their way to church. The reason for this insanity is because tradition has it that around this day, in the wee hours of the morning a guy named Juan Diego ran into a beautiful lady on a hill who introduced herself as the virgin mother of God. We now refer to this as the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Later she left him a picture of herself and a bunch of Castillian roses in his tilma as proof to the unconvinced Spaniards in Mexico City.
Here in the city, they’ll be doing a big procession down at the Mission Dolores with mariachis, a piñata and probably more roses than you’d see at the Flower Mart. They’ll be literally raining down from the ceiling.
What’s the best part though, is that you get a free breakfast after with tamales, pan mexicano, chocolate, and maybe even some ponche, although it probably won’t be spiked since the sisters probably made it.
The trade-off is that you gotta make an appearance at the church before hand. Try any funny business or show up too ponche-d and you’ll probably get a swift rap on the head from some abuelita’s walking stick. These women don’t mess around when it comes to la Virgen.
This is also the beginning of posada season so you’ll probably see a lot of Marias and Josès leading a parade of candles if you live in the Mission or Excelsior during the next few weeks, which are a blast, but can be toxic if you don’t watch it. You could even throw your own!
Note: You can use brandy instead; tejocotes are like crabapples and you can probably find them at a green grocer in the Mission.
La Misa Guadalupana
Misìon San Francisco de Asis (Dolores)
3321 Sixteenth Street (@ Dolores)
[Inner Mission]
SF
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Tags: free, Mission District, Our Lady of Guadalupe, ponche, posada, Tamales
Very nicely done mijo. I hope you will make the pilgrimage to Our Lady. She is the inspiration of so many and as you know, I was named in her honor and gratitude by your Granny and Grandad, God bless their souls. Mummy JMWT
Aw, thanks Ma! I will definitely try. You’re the most Mexican English-American I know.