The Procession of Silence in Querétaro celebrated its 60th anniversary and is considered one of the state’s most important cultural and religious traditions. It is a manifestation of popular piety held on the afternoon of Good Friday, in which brotherhoods and confraternities participate, processing through the streets of the Historic Center.
In this ritual, participants carry images of Christ and the Virgin Mary in their various advocations, in a silent procession interrupted only by the somber sound of drums and the dragging of chains worn by penitents on their ankles, evoking a funereal atmosphere.
This religious event was interrupted in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was replaced by three metal sculptures placed in the atrium of the Convent of the Holy Cross of Miracles, the procession’s traditional starting point.
The penitential brotherhoods comprise the 20 groups that participate in the procession, which includes both men and women. Among the oldest—some dating back six decades—are those of the Lord of the Holy Burial, the Holy Cross, the Lord of Esquipulas, and the Heralds, the latter of whom lead the procession.
Other groups, such as the Lord of Great Power, from the parish of Santa Ana, and the Virgin of Sorrows, are 58 years old, while the Brotherhood of Piety is the most recent, at 18 years old.
According to chronicles of the time, the first modern procession took place in 1966 in the atrium and garden of the Church of the Holy Cross, with just 35 penitents carrying the image of the Holy Burial. In contrast, this year more than a thousand people participated, covering nearly three kilometers in a procession that lasted approximately four hours, due to the weight of the religious images and crosses—some weighing up to 50 kilograms—that they carry, as well as the chains they drag.
Most of the penitents undertake a three-day retreat beforehand at the Convent of the Holy Cross of Miracles, where they sleep on the floor, meditate, and pray. On Good Friday, they participate dressed in tunics and pointed hoods in the color that distinguishes their brotherhood.
The participants wear chains attached to their ankles and carry mesquite wood crosses, weighing between 20 and 50 kilograms, which are kept at the convent and undergo regular maintenance for their preservation.
The brotherhoods also include women dressed in black and wearing veils. The procession is led by the Heralds and the Insignia bearers, who carry symbols of the Passion, such as the crown of thorns and the nails. Following them are children dressed in white tunics and wings, known as “little angels,” and then the children from catechism classes.
Héctor Vinicio Ugalde Ugalde celebrated half a century of attending the procession this year and two decades as coordinator of the brotherhood of the Lord of Great Power. In an interview with La Jornada, he explained that this image, linked to bullfighting tradition, has participated since 1966.
He noted that the clothing of the images reflects personal vows. “Traditionally, they should be in mourning, in shades of purple or red; in this case, it is green, which symbolizes health, as part of a family vow,” he explained.
For Ugalde, the procession also represents a space for family unity. “My father, who is still alive and 99 years old, brought me. Today, I bring my children and my family. That’s what it’s all about: keeping the tradition alive,” he commented.
At 5:00 p.m., the penitents responsible for carrying the platforms—structures on which the religious images are placed—begin the procession, carrying up to 150 kilograms without rest throughout the entire route.
According to historical records, the modern version of the procession was promoted by Friar Ernesto Espitia Ortiz and Father José Morales Flores. Although there are precedents dating back to the viceroyalty, the current tradition arose from their initiative.
Chronicler Alfonso Camacho González points out that this first procession fostered a sense of unity between the neighborhoods of Santa Ana and La Cruz. For his part, historian Eduardo Rabell Urbiola notes that similar processions already existed in the 16th century, and that in the 18th century a Stations of the Cross procession was held from the Church of San Francisco to the Convent of Santa Cruz, a tradition interrupted during the Reform Laws.
In the 20th century, the procession regained strength and expanded, incorporating new brotherhoods. Around 1968, elements of Andalusian and bullfighting influence were integrated, such as the image of the Virgin of Macarena and the Christ of Great Power.
Source: jornada
