...and the procession of the Holy Burial of Christ would be in vain, which year after year renews the faith of the parishioners and serves as an act of atonement for those whose sins seem intolerable within a spectacle of vehement faith of the people of San Miguel. 

Begun in the 18th century, this procession is one of the most renowned in the country; hundreds of believers gather to recreate one of the biblical passages that define our Catholic faith. 

However, not everything has been smooth sailing and the procession has had its share of success and failure, having been cancelled on numerous occasions, mostly due to historical prohibitions by the State.

In 1810, the religious ceremony had to be cancelled for the first time due to the war conflicts of the Mexican Revolution. From 1926-1929, the anti-clergy movement of the then president Plutarco Elías Calles caused the churches to close their doors and the faithful to practice their faith in secret. 

“There comes the bell” was the warning call for the people who were illegally marching in the Santo Entierro. Upon hearing this alarm chant, everyone ran to take refuge inside the church. 

It was not until the 1950s that the march was revived, first as an open secret and then, with the strength of a faith that moves mountains, that the government had no choice but to grant permission to continue with this moving tradition.

As for the experience of being part of the Holy Burial, one could say that the atmosphere is filled with solemnity and even melancholy when listening to the nostalgic “Cristus Factus” with arrangements by the musician Correa. People could not help but cry in repentance for their sins.

A story that stands out for its moving meaning was told by the always missed Father Govea, may he rest in peace. It is about a conversation that he himself heard from the porters that went something like this: 

-“This is so heavy, I’m dead tired” (referring to the urn that weighs about a ton and requires at least 23 men to carry it)

-“It's okay, the weight of sins weighing down my chest is much greater.”

And not only corpulent men take part in the march; behind them, a group of young ladies are in charge of carrying the figures of the archangels who carry various symbols that represent the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, such as his crown of thorns and the scourges.

In recent years, some establishments have opened their windows to add chants to the pedestrians, giving it an enriching, Shakespearean and poetic dynamic. 

As you can understand, the magnitude of this tradition is highly appreciated by the people of San Miguel and it is here to stay. It will not be extinguished as long as there is a faithful person in whose heart the flame of wanting to honor their God burns. 

At the end of the procession, everything ends where it began: the temple of the oratory and this gives way to the celebration of Easter where what has died is resurrected for eternal life.