The Virgin of Guadalupe in Houston

Every year on the Sunday closest to the feast day of the Virgin, the Guadalupana Association of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese organizes a procession as a sacred tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe. After a re-enactment of the appearance of the Virgin to Juan Diego, the procession departs from the downtown Co-Cathedral and ends at the George R. Brown Convention Center.  At the end of the procession, all participants gather for a mass in her honor. The different groups have organized themselves through family, neighborhood and church connections.

These forms of religious dance as acts of devotion and mortification have long been practiced by Mexican and Mexican-American Catholics. The Houston procession draws groups from throughout Houston and the region, all parts of the state, and some international ensembles, clad in outfits reflecting traditional ceremonial and patriotic garb. While the Virgin is often the focus, some groups will express their devotion to other holy personages or symbols and at other days that are special to the Catholic calendar. The procession in Houston is made up of scores of different types devotional dance groups known as matachines, danzantes and chinelos.
All photos on this page by Doris Ting & Debra Ham