FROM THE NORTH SHORE

Our Lady of Peace, one of the Landmarks of Bucerias, Nayarit
By Florelisa Hernandez • Photos by Jesús de Avila • February, 2009

The origins of the image of The Lady of the Peace go as far as  the VII century, and are connected to Saint Ildephonse (606-667), an archbishop of Toledo, Spain, noted as a writer and musician and also for his devotion to Virgin Mary, the tradition tells that during a night of December a miracle occurred when the Saint entered the Cathedral of Toledo, as he found it lit by a great shining, the Virgin was sitting on the archbishop chair, an act that was interpreted  as Her approval of the Saint’ s teachings,  as a present the Virgin gave him a cloak. Saint Ildephonse died on Jan 23rd, and the next day Jan 24th, was dedicated to remember the miracle. During the later years and centuries, a number of art works were painted about the subject, some examples are the master works of El Greco, Rubens, Velazquez, and Zurbaran, and some other great Spanish painters.

There was another related episode during the last quarter of XI century.

The story tells that on 1085 during the times of the Moorish invasion of Spain, there was a battle in which the Toledo Cathedral was on dispute, the Muslims had settled in Spain, and the Cathedral was to become a mosque, miraculously the Muslim chiefs changed their mind and handed back to the Christians, the incident occurred during the eve of January 24th, and it was thought that it had to do with the Virgin of the Peace, that mysteriously acted to save the Christian faith.

Upon the conquest of the Americas, the tradition reached our lands and somehow made it to the newly founded town of Bucerias, which in 1948 was comprised of seven palapas.

The image is formed by a statue of the Virgin Mary, dressed in blue, carrying on her left hand a statue of Jesus as a child, both have crowns and the Child is holding the Globe.

The festival of Our Lady of Peace, patron Saint of Bucerias begins January 16tth, and continues through the 24th. Besides the carnival which takes place at the plaza, there are daily processions of various local organizations and nightly entertainment. The festival culminates in the evening with the lighting of the Castillo (Castle) -- a three story tower filled with fireworks.

An event not to be missed. Noteworthy is “The Bull” -- a young man with a wooden rack that resembles a bull’s head, full of rockets, which runs through the crowd shooting off the fireworks in all directions. Another event to see is the arrival of the boats from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to the beach of Bucerias. This happens about noon on the 24th. The boat crews then proceed to the church for the blessing.

Back in 1946, the Bucerias ejido encompassed three thousand hectares which included the towns of Mezcales and Mezcalitos. It was not until 1974 that 100 hectares were expropriated in order to build what is now known as the Flamingos development (North of Bucerias).

Around 1948 Bucerías had only seven palapas (palm thatch roof) huts and the main economic activity, besides fishing, was the growth of corn, sorghum, sesame, peanuts, and mango.

Getting to Bucerías now can’t be easier, from north or south on coastal highway 200, although before 1955 Bucerias could only be reached during dry season through a dirt road, which passed 6 miles away from town. Email to a friend

Did you know?

Venezuela, (Latin America) has a large monument dedicated to the Virgin of the Peace, located in Trujillo, it was created in 1983 by sculptors Manuel de la Fuente and Rosendo Camargo, the monument is 46 meters high. It is one of the highest monuments of the Americas, compared with the famous Liberty Statue of the US, built by sculptor Federico Bartholdi, and a gift of France to the US in 1886, Liberty, is located in New York Harbor and has 96 meters of height.

Forelisa Hernández – Frascati Ristorante
E-mail: florelisa77@hotmail.com

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* Frascati Ristorante is compromised with spreading the local traditions of this beautiful area that was chosen by The Defayes Family to share its rich cuisine and Italian tradition. Don’t miss one of the richest Festivals of the region.

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