believers!
Soon after news of Juan Diego’s apparition made its way around Mexico, the native Indians reconciled (a polite way of putting it!) with the Spaniards and a new race of people, the Mestizo, was created. In fact, the Lady of Guadalupe is generally depicted as a Mestiza. Today, it is estimated that anywhere from 60-80% of the Mexican population is Mestizo and slightly more than 90% of all Mexicans are Catholic. With well in excess of 100 million Catholics, Mexico ranks second only to Brazil with its population of Roman Catholics.
During the 20th century, the Mexican government took a number of steps to separate church from state and also nationalized much of the wealth that the church had accumulated over the years; however Catholicism continues to have a strong influence in Mexican life today. Although it’s influential, it’s certainly not forced on anyone or even on display. In our 13 years of living in Vallarta, we’ve never noticed a priest or nun in the city; they do not wear their habits in public.
Many of the annual Mexican fiestas are religious by nature but Easter and Christmas are the most widely celebrated. We have been fortunate enough to witness the past 13 Christmases in PV and can say that it’s a sight to behold! They start the season early in December by hanging colorful lights and decorations throughout the city. The official holiday season begins on December 12th, the birthday of the Lady of Guadalupe, and lasts until January 6th with Epiphany or Los Reyes Magos (the day of the three kings or wise men); some now refer to this holiday season as the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon!
Approximately 9 days before Christmas, various processions, called Las Posadas, are initiated in surrounding cities and