Holy Week in San Miguel de Allende

For two full weeks, San Miguel de Allende is transformed with parades, processions, prayers, and pageantry filling the streets.  But for me, one of the most moving traditions is Viernes de Dolores—Friday of Sorrows.

Living in the center of this colonial city, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing these breathtaking altars for 25 years, and no matter how many times I see them, they still stop me in my tracks.

On the last Friday of Lent, homes, courtyards, and storefronts open their doors to reveal altars dedicated to the Virgin of Sorrows. Nestled in niches, perched on windowsills, or spilling onto the floor in elaborate designs, they are stunning displays of faith and artistry. Filled with candle light, white lilies, chamomile, and bitter oranges—all symbols of Mary’s grief, humility, and pain. Purple fabrics flow symbolic of her mourning, and wheatgrass, pale from growing in darkness, slowly turns green in the sun, a living metaphor for resurrection.

Every altar tells a story. Some are simple and intimate, others grand and intricate, but all reflect the Virgin’s sorrow as she watched her son’s suffering.

Us locals know the traditional family altars that each year offer a sweet treat—ice cream, popsicles, or pumpkin desserts—symbolizing the Virgin’s tears.

This tradition dates back to the 1600s, brought by the Spanish, but today, it is something uniquely ours—rooted in the heart of Guanajuato and the Bajío region. And every year, as I walk these streets and take it all in, I am reminded why I never tire of it.

San Miguel’s Semana Santa is something to be felt, not just seen. And if you’re here, you’re part of it.