As vendors rolled down the steel gates of their stalls at El Mercadito in Boyle Heights Wednesday night, a party was just getting outside.
Hundreds of believers from across the Southland gathered to pay tribute to Mexico’s patron saint at the annual Feast Day of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Vendors along Lorena Street sold candles and flowers for visitors to lay at an altar built around a mural of La Virgen in the mercado’s parking lot.
Tacos, tamales, pan dulce, hot champurrado and even a little bit of liquor kept families and friends awake through the night while performers played banda tracks and Aztec dancers captivated the audience.
La Virgen de Guadalupe is said to have first appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous peasant, in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531. For almost 500 years, the religious figure has represented feminism, indigenous roots, and countless other facets of Mexican culture, history, and heritage.
Families who traveled to the Eastside to honor La Virgen prayed for a common theme: hope.
It was Alexa Perez’s first time at the Eastside event. The South Central resident came with her mom, grandma, sister and 1-year-old son, Elliot, because she heard it was a joyful celebration of blessings and hope, something the 24-year-old mother said she needed in difficult times.
“[La Virgen] helped me through the hard times,” Perez said. ”Sixteen years ago, my dad was deported and he’s finally back. And two years ago, I was told I was infertile, and now I have a son… she gave me a reason to feel blessed.”
As midnight approached, hundreds of people filled the parking lot, sharing jokes, dancing and taking videos of the performances shown on the makeshift stage and altar. Señoras sat on foldable chairs and wrapped themselves in blankets while the occasional sweater-wearing chihuahua wandered through the crowd on one of the most significant nights in Mexican culture.
Mariachi and dance performers captivate a crowd of dozens at El Mercadito event in celebration of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Photos by Andrew Lopez.
Several businesses and families handed out free tacos, pan dulce, atole and cafe de olla to anyone hungry. Mindy Hernandez, 33, her husband, mother and 3-year-old son, Joaquin, chose to contribute at the yearly celebration.
“This is the first time we’re actually giving food out, so we’re really excited. My son is old enough to start creating memories, so we definitely wanted to make sure he learns to give back,” Hernandez said of her toddler who was eager to open the box of colorful pan dulce.
To her, La Virgen represents the intersection between her faith, her family and her Catholic and Indigenous identities. “It’s become a representation for Latinos, overall. We carry our mother Guadalupe in a lot of our fights as immigrants, as Latinos, as Indigenous [people], so I think she represents all that.”
Having recently lost her father, Hernandez prayed for health and blessings for both her family and others around the world into the new year.
“I’m asking for blessings for our community, our immigrant community, our undocumented community. Palestine, with everything that’s going on, we need a lot of blessings so we could overcome that and hopefully find safety and peace one way or another,” Hernandez said.
Event attendees enjoyed music, dance, tamales, tacos and champurrado at Wednesday night’s celebration. Photos by Andrew Lopez.
At the stroke of midnight, a group of mariachis in white charro suits walked on stage with instruments in hand and began to play “Las Mañanitas”. People sang and embraced while others were overcome by emotion in front of the larger-than-life mural nearby.
For Edgar Robles, 47, a Whittier resident and former East L.A. native, La Virgen represents hope, serenity and respect for a matriarchal symbol.
Looking to 2025, Robles said he asked the holy saint to “help everybody.”
“There’s a lot of stuff going on. There are a lot of people who need help, we all need it, but some more than others. And I hope that she guides the president to do the right thing, not the stupid things he wants to do. Plain and simple. We all need it,” Robles said.
