by Fer + Pablo
I want the verse to sprout and the sound to sound, as if giving way to utopia, that a world is still possible, in which madness is opposed, the best of us that still shines, I bring you tradition; I bring poetry and sounds of the earth and tap dancing. Prosperity, doves and joy with all my heart I wish you." Guillermo Velázquez and the Lions of the Sierra de Xichú
And after these words and two years of pandemic, the celebration of the Holy Cross was reborn with more fervor than ever, accompanied by a tribute to the recent death of Dr. Polo Estrada (main promoter of the celebration of the Corn Valley).
One of the most widespread and beloved traditions of our city. The celebration of the Holy Cross of the Corn Valley takes place throughout the month of May; concluding on the last weekend with dances, fireworks, masses and all kinds of cultural events.
We began with a concert by the Lions of the Sierra de Xichú; a traditional huapango from the mountains of Guanajuato. The performance, beyond being a concert, is intended to pay gratitude and respect to the Holy Cross, which, with rhymes and good rhythms, marked the entrance of the wax to the temple built in its honor in the heart of the Corn Valley.
The last hour of the afternoon arrived again and the royal rehearsal approached, a huge parade in tribute to Santo Madero; accompanied by dances, wind music, crazy people and mojigangas, where the devotees walked through the streets, visiting the Santa Cruz del Valle and the Santa Cruz del Palo Cuarto, made of stone and placed on the royal exit to Querétaro.
During their tour they also visited small altars placed at crosses of particular devotion, displayed on the doors and windows of the homes of the faithful.
Faith is the key to understanding the emotional nature of this event. The hours pass and as the party progresses, it is impossible not to wonder: how will the rehearsal be organized?
Saturday arrived and there were many activities. We started the day with an alborada (a celebration of the dawn), a tradition so emblematic of our San Miguel that it could not be missed. From 4 in the morning with the collection of gunpowder, to the distribution of tamales and atole. The music did not stop, and thus began one of the most important days of the festival.
During the event, there were dance and musical groups, a street representation of the Chichimeca wars and, at nightfall, a fireworks display.
The sound of gunpowder announced the beginning of a new dawn, the last day began. After the vigils at the Santo Madero, held in the temple, the residents prepared for the parade that paralyzed the entire city for a few hours.
For more than two hours, the streets of the center were filled with colors, music and dances, which accompanied the Santa Cruz on its final journey. The mojigangas of Dr. Estrada led the procession, followed by Apache dances, allegorical paintings, guest dancers, locos and chinelos with their colorful costumes enlivened the Sunday.
A very interesting scene ends the event: the marotas; men dressed as women who entertained the spectators.
Their faith is what moves them and this is how they ended their journey through the historic center of San Miguel.
Upon returning to the valley, there was the presentation of the dances on the esplanade of the atrium, the greased pole and the masterful presentation of the colloquium “The hidden treasure” and thus, this beautiful tradition ends, the second longest and most important of San Miguel.
