In front of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arc Angel — all day Friday for the feast day of Señor de La Conquista — hundreds of brightly costumed dancers express the most joyous form of worship imaginable.

And exhausting.

Long before noon, it was hot out there. Really hot. I’ve never seen headdresses come off so quickly and water get consumed so rapidly as today. Can you blame them?

But always there were smiles.

So, what’s this all about?

I’ll let Isabel Mor, one of San Miguel’s premier guides explain. She owns San Miguel Xperiences Tours, if you are in the market for someone to show you around.

From Isabel: “Today we celebrate ‘El Señor de la Conquista,’ a tradition and ritual that goes back more than 500 years. This image of Jesus is honored and venerated all over San Miguel like in San Miguel Viejo community, Las Cuevitas neighborhood; and of course our main Parroquia.

“The image is now at the main altar.

“The image was brought to San Miguel from Pátzcuaro Michoacán , made by indigenous hands and with pasta de cana , a natural mix of ingredients of Indigenous use. The image is very different from other Jesus images , since it was made by Indigenous people, it looks more like themselves, darker skin, fashioned from them, and of course instead of a thorn crown, a crown with three rays of light.

“Always the celebration is the first Friday of March. Why ? Because for the Indigenous agriculture calendar, this first dates were to offer and plant the first seeds for their agriculture season!!

“So be prepared to watch people from all over our old Barrios dancing around the Jardin, and people performing blessings on its copal, and others to honor Him. Dancers are also invited from other parts of the country, and some people host them for free and give them food, like Señora Gloria who lives on Jesus Street, and her family host. Some dancers today, after dancing they make food for other dancers . You can visit and make a donation as well, and also appreciate the Chanting they do at their small home altar.”

The photos here were taken around the Jardin and Parroquia around mid-day on Friday, March 7, 2025. There will be colorful dancers filling the plaza until around 11 p.m.