Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – As December approaches, Puerto Vallarta’s Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe parish is making preparations for the upcoming 12-day celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This cherished tradition, deeply ingrained in the city’s culture, is set to draw thousands of pilgrims, with 350 groups registered to take part in this year’s Peregrinaciones.
The Our Lady of Guadalupe parish priest, Father Arturo Arana Lopez, shared that the festivities, recognized as part of the State Inventory of Cultural Heritage, will commence on the last day of November with parish servants marching through the streets of the city center.
Starting December 1st, the iconic Guadalupe processions will begin daily at 6:00 pm, starting from the intersection of Juárez and 31 de Octubre streets and culminating in a 7:00 pm mass at the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Highlighting key events, Father Arana emphasized the serenade to the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 11 and the symbolic journey of the Guadeloupan torchlighters to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City on December 8. The torchbearers, a dedicated group of 60 runners, will undertake an 84-hour route, reaching the doors of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta at 7:30 pm on December 12.
The pinnacle of the celebrations occurs on December 11 with the mañanitas to the Virgin of Guadalupe, beginning at 11:00 pm and featuring guest artists from the region. The following day, la peregrinación de los favorecidos (the pilgrimage of the favored), a revered tradition, will kick off at 11:00 in the morning and extend for up to four hours, solidifying Puerto Vallarta’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage.
As the city readies for this spiritual and vibrant spectacle, residents and visitors alike eagerly anticipate the unity, tradition, and reverence that the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations bring to Puerto Vallarta each December.