San Juan de los Lagos
Encyclopedia
San Juan de los Lagos is a town and municipality
located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco
, Mexico
, in a region known as Los Altos. It is best known as the home of a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos
or in Nahuatl
Cihuapilli, which means “Great Lady.” Since the first major miracle ascribed to her in 1632, she has been venerated especially for cases involving mortal danger. The miracles ascribed to her have made the basilica in which she is found a major tourist attraction, which has shaped the town’s history to this day. The economy of the town is still heavily dependent on the flow of pilgrims which has amounted to between seven and nine million people per year.
The Plaza de Armas or Rita Pérez de Moreno Civic Plaza is in the center of the town. It was designed by Roque Picaso in the 18th century, and later modified by Salvador Gómez. In the center, there is a Monument to Independence, erected in 1872. It consists of a thin column supported by a base which has four dragon figures. At the top, there is marble sculpture of a woman holding a laurel crown. The monument stand in the center of a large circular fountain.
The Cathedral/Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos faces the main square of the town, and dates to 1732. It has a facade of pink sandstone with two narrow Baroque
towers and a portal with three levels and a crest. In this portal, there are Tuscan columns
and cornice
s along with geometric and anthropomorphic reliefs. The interior has stained glass windows and a cupola
with painted scenes. The walls and ceiling of the nave are richly decorated with gold leaf and cypress woodwork, especially in the capitols, pilasters and other niches. The main altar is made of sandstone and cypress in Neoclassical
style. In the center is the image of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. The sacristy
contains oil paintings and furniture with incrustations. The chamber behind the main altar contains six works by Rubens
.
On the side opposite from the Basilica is the municipal palace. It was constructed at the end of the 18th century of stone covered in sandstone tiles. It originally was a house, then a seminary, before its current function which began in 1938. During the War of Independence
, it temporarily housed viceroy Felix Maria Calleja while he and his troops were pursuing Miguel Hidalgo
.
The Chapel of the First Miracle was first built as a hermitage in the 1530s. The current structure dates from the 17th century. Its facade is simple, made of sandstone with a single tower that has Corinthian columns
and vegetative reliefs. The portal is simple with a rounded arch. The choral window has a sandstone frame and niches above it with sculptures. The interior is a single nave with a main altar in Baroque style in white sandstone, with Solomonic column
s that support a semicircular pediment
. The rest of the decoration is simple with some sculptures of saints on the walls. To the side of this chapel is a former hospital, which also has a simple facade and portal.
The Capilla del Pocito is where, according to legend, a small girl brought forth a fresh water spring in 1663 by striking the area with a stone. The spring still flows.
The Temple of Calvary dates from the 17th century, constructed in pink sandstone. It has the appearance of a Greek temple with stairways, arches and columns. The facade features large sculptures of the Twelve Apostles .
The Parish of San Juan Bautista was constructed in 1648. The Temple of the Holy Family was constructed in 1841 in Neoclassical style. The Parish of Sangre de Cristo was constructed at the beginning of the 19th century.
The Rita Pérez School was built in the 1770s in Neocolonial style. It began as a gambling house, then an inn and barracks. In 1949, it was converted into a school by the municipality.
The Old Episcopal House was rebuilt in the 19the century and currently houses the post and telegraph offices.
The Casa de Correos became the Casa de Cultura. It is located on one side of the main plaza.
The festival dedicated to the Virgin of Candelmas, celebrated from 25 January to 2 February is the most important for the municipality. It is celebrated with processions, live music, various traditional dances such as Moors and Christians by the many visitors from all over Mexico. There are also fireworks and amusement rides.
The Fiestas de la Primavera (Spring Festivals) are held for five days at the end of May with bullfights, live music, dances and cockfights. This concurs with events dedicated to the Virgin Mary which are held through the entire month. During Holy Week, it is customary to visit all seven churches of the main town.
In 2010, the Secretary of Tourism for the state began a Festival of Mariachi, Charrería and Tequila in the town to coincide with the Independence Day holiday in San Juan. It is part of an effort to revive certain area traditions. In addition to traditional dance and music, local tequila and mezcal producers offer samples of their products. There is also a parade with floats and mojiganga
s and a beauty contests featuring representatives from the various communities of Los Altos.
During festivals and other times, various local foods are available. Typical dishes include pozole
, tamale
s, milk candies and cajeta (dulce de leche) and fruits such as cactus fruit, oranges and fig
s preserved in sugar. Traditional drinks include ponche made from local fruits. Another traditional confection is a large disk of a coconut confection called “alfajor.”
, but sometimes referred to by her Nahuatl
name of Cihuapilli, which means "Great Lady." This image is very small, about 38cm tall, made of sugar cane paste and believed to have been brought to the area from Michoacán
in the early 1500s. The first important miracle ascribed to the image dates to 1623. A family of acrobats had a show which included “flying” over a field of spear points. The seven-year-old daughter fell onto the spears during the act and immediately died. Local women brought the image to the body and prayed over it when the child revived. This miracle made the image famous. Since then, many other miracles have since been attributed to her intercession, often related to recuperation from mortal danger or dangerous illnesses.
The original hermitage that stored the image was built in 1543, with the first chapel dedicated specifically to the image build in the 1638. The current basilica/cathedral was begun in 1732 and was finished except for the bell towers in 1779. This church was made possible by a steady flow of offerings to the image that continued from colonial times until the Mexican Revolution
. This war reduced the flow of pilgrims and gifts but both returned after and have kept the town and image a major religious attraction for the country. In 1904 the Pope granted permission for the crowning of the image. The church was elevated to a minor Basilica in 1947, and to a Cathedral in 1972. Pope John Paul II came to San Juan de los Lagos to visit the image in 1990. The statue of the virgin was restored by sculptors in 2005.
San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited pilgrimage site in Mexico, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
in Mexico City
. It is an important tourist attraction for the state of Jalisco. Hundreds visit the basilica every day, with estimates of yearly visits usually numbering around seven million, but estimated at nine million for 2009. On religious holidays, the churched and its immediate surroundings are packed. The most important days for this image are February 2, most of May, August 15 and December 8, those times associated with Mary. Two million come during Candelmas alone. At peak visitation times, the crowd spill out from the basilica and crowd onto the streets of the town. Church authorities indicate that there is a severe need to improve facilities for the pilgrims and provide more space. During peak periods, demand for hotel space far exceeds supply and the municipally opens shelters with basic services. The shelter was been constructed to accommodate 20,000 pilgrims but it is insufficient at peak times.
Organized groups may walk or bike for hundreds of miles, but most arrive by car or bus. Many pilgrims will cross the entire nave in their knees, and most are there to fill a promise to the Virgin image. Most pilgrims come to “repay” the image for a miracle received, an obligation called a “manda.” According to popular belief, those who fail to fulfill a “manda” to the Virgin risk being turned into stone. One of the common actions of pilgrims is to leave a small image called a votive painting
for the image. Traditionally, these are images hand painted onto wood or metal depicting a miracle attributed to the Virgin image. Most have details with dates and names. So many have been left here that only a small fraction can been seen at any time, those most recently deposited. The atrium of the basilica is often filled with traditional dancers done as an offering to the Virgin. For Candelmas, the most important day associated with this image, the morning begins with the singing of Las Mañanitas
, traditional dancers and the sharing of tamales and atole
.
and Nahuas who formed small independent dominions in the 12th century. Soon after, these dominions would fall under the rule of a single Tecuexe state, with its capital at Metzquititlán.
The first Spanish conquistador in the area was Pedro Almíndez Chirino
, sent from Cuitzeo by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
. It was placed firmly into Spanish control by Cristóbal de Oñate
after he conquered the nearby Caxcan
s in Teocaltiche
. The Mixtón Rebellion
in the Guadalajara area prompted measures to populate and fortify this area under the supervision of the Franciscans . San Juan’s origins date to 1542, when the indigenous population of a village called San Gaspar was sent here, naming the new village San Juan Bautista de Mezquititlán. However by the end of the 16th century, the town was still little more than a group of small houses, with a small hermitage. This hermitage, built by Friar Miguel de Bolonia, was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
. This structure was the first home of a very small image of the Virgin Mary, believed to have been brought to the area from Michoacán either by Bolonia or by Friar Antonio de Segovia. Over time, moths damaged the statue and it was packed away in a corner of the sacristy. It remained there until 1632 when it was part of the first major miracle ascribed to it. After this, the image was taken to Guadalajara to be restored, and it was then returned to San Juan. Pilgrimages soon began to the miraculous image, with pilgrims leaving valuable offerings, which permitted the building of larger and grander churches for the image. The first chapel to the image was built in 1638, which is now the Chapel of the First Miracle.
From the 1542 to 1623, San Juan had been an indigenous community. Colonial authorities decided to “Hispanicize” the area, bringing in a large number of Spanish and mestizo
s from neighboring areas, mostly through land grants. Many of these new residents came from an area called Santa María de los Lagos in what is now Guanajuato
. This prompted the changing of the town’s name to San Juan de los Lagos. Shortly after this influx of newcomers, the number of indigenous in the town dropped to less than one quarter.
During the colonial era, the San Juan’s importance grew as a pilgrimage center because of the miracles ascribed to the Virgin Mary image. This influx of pilgrims also spurred the town’s development as a regional commercial center, as it provided a large concentration of potential customers. This led to an annual fair which coincided with the busiest pilgrimage season, the time around Candlemas. This economic impact became evident relatively early in the colonial period.
San Juan had a number of advantages that led to its growing importance during the colonial period. First, there was a relative dearth of native pilgrimage sites in northern Mexico, as most sites are churches dedicated to Virgin and Christ images physically located in other parts of the country. This Virgin, along with the one in Zapopan
, were considered “frontier Virgins.” Another important factor is that San Juan lies on the border between northern and central Mexico in an area now known as the Los Altos de Jalisco region and as such was an area frequently traveled through. The area lies where a number of roads connecting mining and cattle raising areas intersect. The royal road which linked Tampico, San Luis Potosí
and Zacatecas
passed through here, intersecting with that connecting Mexico City
and Santa Fé
. This has made it relatively easy to access and prompted authorities to build and maintain roads and bridges in the area, including a main highway connecting it to Guadalajara in 1717. The annual fair drew merchants from Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, San Juan del Río
, Valle de Santiago, Celaya
, Guadalajara, Valladolid
, Aguascalientes
and Zacatecas, many to sell merchandise imported through the ports of Veracruz
or Acapulco
.
The annual fair and other commercial activity steadily grew in the 17th and 18th century until the annual fair was formally recognized by royal decree in Spain in 1797. However, the annual fair and the area’s economic importance declined in the early 19th century, in part due to suppression by colonial authorities because of the insurgent tendencies of the area. Royalist troops pursuing Miguel Hidalgo passed through the area in 1811. Although the area did recover economically after the War of Independence
, it did not have the same relative value as it did before.
In 1824, the area was reorganized politically and the town gained its status as a municipal seat. It was named a city again in 1869.
Various clashes during the Cristero War
occurred in the area between 1926 and 1929.
The diocese of San Juan was erected in 1972 as part of the archdiocese of Guadalajara.
The current seal was authorized by the municipality in 1987, designed by Gabriel Camarena Gutiérrez de Laria.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II came as a pilgrim and offered mass to a crowd of six million.
, Encarnación de Díaz
, Jolostotitlán, San Miguel el Alto
, San Julián
, Unión de San Antonio
and Lagos de Moreno
.
The municipality an average altitude of 1750 meters above sea level with most of the area is flat or with rolling hills with a difference in altitude of only 200 meters. The low point is at the San Juan River at 1700 meters and the high point is to the south at the Lozano and Los Indios Mesas at about 1900 meters.
The climate is relatively dry, and relatively warm with mild winters. The average annual temperature is 19.1C, with about 19 days experiencing below freezing temperatures. Most precipitation falls in June and July amounting to about 715mm per year.
The area is part of the Lerma River
/Lake Chapala
/Santiago River basin and the Verde/Grande de Belén/Santiago-Atotonilco River sub-basin. The main rivers through the municipality are San Juan (Lagos) and El Agostadero, with three dams Peña de León, Los Laureles and Alcalá. Streams include El Cedral, El Carrizo, San Antonio, El Barroso, El Corralillo, La Cañada, Mata Gorda, El Maguey, El Arrastradero, El Chilarillo, Santa Rosa, Los Trujillos and La Labor. There are also a number of fresh water springs including Santa Rosa and Charco del Tigre.
Most of the municipality is covered in arid grassland and other dry area plants such as cactus, maguey and arid scrub. About three hundred hectares is filled with dense vegetation, mostly cactus and thorny scrub. Predominant wildlife includes: coyote
s, puma
s, wildcats, wolves, deer (only in areas with abundant vegetation), rabbits, squirrels, opossums, armadillo
s and moles
.
. Roofs are mostly of poured concrete or vaults made with bricks. Basic services such as running water and electricity are available in about 90% of homes.
Agriculture takes up about half of the municipality’s territory, with most farmland privately owned. It employs about 22% of the working population. Principle crops are corn, beans and sorghum
, with livestock consisting of meat and dairy cattle, oxen, pigs, sheep, goats and domestic fowl. There is also some fish farming producing catfish
, carp
and mojarra
for local consumption. There is some exploitation of mesquite
trees for wood.
Mining and industry employ about 24% of the working population. Mining mostly consists of sandstone production for construction with some deposits of marble and other construction materials. Most industry consists of food processing, much of which is destined for sale to the tourist market. This is particularly true for the production and sale of cajeta or dulce de leche
. This is a common traditional product as the Los Altos region is the fifth highest producer of dairy products in the country. Other products include ice, construction materials, ironworking, textiles and furniture.
Handcrafts include embroidered clothing for women as well as the weaving of wool items such as sarapes, rebozo
s, quezquémetl
s and other textiles, herbal medicines, leather items such as bags, belts and wallets are made as well as ceramics and carved stone items. Clothing for charro
s can be found here from heavily embroidered jackets and pants to embroidered belts called “piteado
.” Another common handcraft is religious items for sale to visitors, such as reliquaries, candles, images of the Virgin and rosaries made from the local white stone. Many of the areas handcrafts are sold on the stores and street stalls around the main plaza and basilica. These items are either made locally or brought in from other states in central Mexico.
Just under fifty percent of the working population is dedicated to commerce and services, with most of this related to tourism to the town of San Juan de los Lagos, followed by businesses catering to local, mostly primary, needs. This translates to a population of about 40,000 residents who cater to the needs of about seven million or so pilgrims per year. The town has frequent bus service, and is accessible by expressway. However, this tourism is almost purely domestic. Most English language guidebooks do not even mention San Juan de los Lagos.
In 2005, 111 spoke an indigenous language, up from 24 in 1995, and 95% are Catholic.
The municipality has seventeen preschools, 65 primary schools, seven middle schools two high schools and one vocational/technical school. About 90% of the population is literate; however, the rate was about only half of the population until the 1990s.
Another pilgrimage site is that of the Santo Niño de Mezquitic, also called the Niño Cacahuate, whose feast day is 17 September. This image is located in a small church constructed for it in the community of Mezquitic de la Magdalena, four km outside the town of San Juan. The construction is Neoclassical and dates from the 18th century. The image itself is five centimeters tall contained in a peanut shell, which gives it the name of Niño Cacahuate. The veneration of this image began in 1810, but it has grown in the past two decades. Its rise in popularity has made the community another destination for religious tourism in the area.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
located in the northeast corner of the state of Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in a region known as Los Altos. It is best known as the home of a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos
Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos
Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is a statue and a popular focus for pilgrims. It is located in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, northeast of the city of Guadalajara. The statue is venerated both in Mexico and the United States...
or in Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
Cihuapilli, which means “Great Lady.” Since the first major miracle ascribed to her in 1632, she has been venerated especially for cases involving mortal danger. The miracles ascribed to her have made the basilica in which she is found a major tourist attraction, which has shaped the town’s history to this day. The economy of the town is still heavily dependent on the flow of pilgrims which has amounted to between seven and nine million people per year.
The town
Many of the buildings in the center of the town are made of pink sandstone dating as far back as the 17th century, with the streets fanning out from the main square. There are twenty two historically notable buildings in the town. These include four parish churches in the municipality, Sangre de Cristo, San Jose, San Juan Bautista and Sagrada Familia and two chapels Primer Milagro and El Calvario.The Plaza de Armas or Rita Pérez de Moreno Civic Plaza is in the center of the town. It was designed by Roque Picaso in the 18th century, and later modified by Salvador Gómez. In the center, there is a Monument to Independence, erected in 1872. It consists of a thin column supported by a base which has four dragon figures. At the top, there is marble sculpture of a woman holding a laurel crown. The monument stand in the center of a large circular fountain.
The Cathedral/Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos faces the main square of the town, and dates to 1732. It has a facade of pink sandstone with two narrow Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
towers and a portal with three levels and a crest. In this portal, there are Tuscan columns
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
and cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
s along with geometric and anthropomorphic reliefs. The interior has stained glass windows and a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
with painted scenes. The walls and ceiling of the nave are richly decorated with gold leaf and cypress woodwork, especially in the capitols, pilasters and other niches. The main altar is made of sandstone and cypress in Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. In the center is the image of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. The sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
contains oil paintings and furniture with incrustations. The chamber behind the main altar contains six works by Rubens
Rubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
.
On the side opposite from the Basilica is the municipal palace. It was constructed at the end of the 18th century of stone covered in sandstone tiles. It originally was a house, then a seminary, before its current function which began in 1938. During the War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, it temporarily housed viceroy Felix Maria Calleja while he and his troops were pursuing Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...
.
The Chapel of the First Miracle was first built as a hermitage in the 1530s. The current structure dates from the 17th century. Its facade is simple, made of sandstone with a single tower that has Corinthian columns
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
and vegetative reliefs. The portal is simple with a rounded arch. The choral window has a sandstone frame and niches above it with sculptures. The interior is a single nave with a main altar in Baroque style in white sandstone, with Solomonic column
Solomonic column
The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew...
s that support a semicircular pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The rest of the decoration is simple with some sculptures of saints on the walls. To the side of this chapel is a former hospital, which also has a simple facade and portal.
The Capilla del Pocito is where, according to legend, a small girl brought forth a fresh water spring in 1663 by striking the area with a stone. The spring still flows.
The Temple of Calvary dates from the 17th century, constructed in pink sandstone. It has the appearance of a Greek temple with stairways, arches and columns. The facade features large sculptures of the Twelve Apostles .
The Parish of San Juan Bautista was constructed in 1648. The Temple of the Holy Family was constructed in 1841 in Neoclassical style. The Parish of Sangre de Cristo was constructed at the beginning of the 19th century.
The Rita Pérez School was built in the 1770s in Neocolonial style. It began as a gambling house, then an inn and barracks. In 1949, it was converted into a school by the municipality.
The Old Episcopal House was rebuilt in the 19the century and currently houses the post and telegraph offices.
The Casa de Correos became the Casa de Cultura. It is located on one side of the main plaza.
The festival dedicated to the Virgin of Candelmas, celebrated from 25 January to 2 February is the most important for the municipality. It is celebrated with processions, live music, various traditional dances such as Moors and Christians by the many visitors from all over Mexico. There are also fireworks and amusement rides.
The Fiestas de la Primavera (Spring Festivals) are held for five days at the end of May with bullfights, live music, dances and cockfights. This concurs with events dedicated to the Virgin Mary which are held through the entire month. During Holy Week, it is customary to visit all seven churches of the main town.
In 2010, the Secretary of Tourism for the state began a Festival of Mariachi, Charrería and Tequila in the town to coincide with the Independence Day holiday in San Juan. It is part of an effort to revive certain area traditions. In addition to traditional dance and music, local tequila and mezcal producers offer samples of their products. There is also a parade with floats and mojiganga
Mojiganga
Mojiganga is a Spanish entertainment form of theatrical performance that mixes the entremés, dance and music. It comes from the "boxiganga" of the 17th Century, from the Spanish popular culture and from the medieval theater. Chroniclers, like Father Bartolomé de las Casas, referred to the mojiganga...
s and a beauty contests featuring representatives from the various communities of Los Altos.
During festivals and other times, various local foods are available. Typical dishes include pozole
Pozole
Pozole is a ritually significant, traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico. Pozole was mentioned in Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's "General History of the Things of New Spain" circa 1500 CE. It is made from nixtamalized cacahuazintle corn, with meat, usually pork, chicken, turkey, pork...
, tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
s, milk candies and cajeta (dulce de leche) and fruits such as cactus fruit, oranges and fig
FIG
FIG may refer to:*Common fig, a large, deciduous shrub native to southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region.*Ficus, a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs in the family Moraceae.-Acronym:* Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique...
s preserved in sugar. Traditional drinks include ponche made from local fruits. Another traditional confection is a large disk of a coconut confection called “alfajor.”
Pilgrimage site of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos
The pilgrims come to the town to pay homage to a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los LagosOur Lady of San Juan de los Lagos
Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is a statue and a popular focus for pilgrims. It is located in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, northeast of the city of Guadalajara. The statue is venerated both in Mexico and the United States...
, but sometimes referred to by her Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
name of Cihuapilli, which means "Great Lady." This image is very small, about 38cm tall, made of sugar cane paste and believed to have been brought to the area from Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
in the early 1500s. The first important miracle ascribed to the image dates to 1623. A family of acrobats had a show which included “flying” over a field of spear points. The seven-year-old daughter fell onto the spears during the act and immediately died. Local women brought the image to the body and prayed over it when the child revived. This miracle made the image famous. Since then, many other miracles have since been attributed to her intercession, often related to recuperation from mortal danger or dangerous illnesses.
The original hermitage that stored the image was built in 1543, with the first chapel dedicated specifically to the image build in the 1638. The current basilica/cathedral was begun in 1732 and was finished except for the bell towers in 1779. This church was made possible by a steady flow of offerings to the image that continued from colonial times until the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. This war reduced the flow of pilgrims and gifts but both returned after and have kept the town and image a major religious attraction for the country. In 1904 the Pope granted permission for the crowning of the image. The church was elevated to a minor Basilica in 1947, and to a Cathedral in 1972. Pope John Paul II came to San Juan de los Lagos to visit the image in 1990. The statue of the virgin was restored by sculptors in 2005.
San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited pilgrimage site in Mexico, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic church, minor basilica and National Shrine of Mexico in the north of Mexico City. The shrine was built nearby the place where Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. It is an important tourist attraction for the state of Jalisco. Hundreds visit the basilica every day, with estimates of yearly visits usually numbering around seven million, but estimated at nine million for 2009. On religious holidays, the churched and its immediate surroundings are packed. The most important days for this image are February 2, most of May, August 15 and December 8, those times associated with Mary. Two million come during Candelmas alone. At peak visitation times, the crowd spill out from the basilica and crowd onto the streets of the town. Church authorities indicate that there is a severe need to improve facilities for the pilgrims and provide more space. During peak periods, demand for hotel space far exceeds supply and the municipally opens shelters with basic services. The shelter was been constructed to accommodate 20,000 pilgrims but it is insufficient at peak times.
Organized groups may walk or bike for hundreds of miles, but most arrive by car or bus. Many pilgrims will cross the entire nave in their knees, and most are there to fill a promise to the Virgin image. Most pilgrims come to “repay” the image for a miracle received, an obligation called a “manda.” According to popular belief, those who fail to fulfill a “manda” to the Virgin risk being turned into stone. One of the common actions of pilgrims is to leave a small image called a votive painting
Votive paintings of Mexico
Votive paintings in Mexico go by several names in Spanish such as “ex voto,” “retablo” or “lamina,” which refer to their purpose, place often found, or material from which they are traditionally made respectively. The painting of religious images to give thanks for a miracle or favored received in...
for the image. Traditionally, these are images hand painted onto wood or metal depicting a miracle attributed to the Virgin image. Most have details with dates and names. So many have been left here that only a small fraction can been seen at any time, those most recently deposited. The atrium of the basilica is often filled with traditional dancers done as an offering to the Virgin. For Candelmas, the most important day associated with this image, the morning begins with the singing of Las Mañanitas
Las Mañanitas
Las Mañanitas is a traditional Mexican birthday song sung in many Latin American countries at birthday parties, usually sung before eating cake and especially as part of the custom of serenading unmarried women. The tradition of the song can be tracked back to 1896 in the mexican city Zacatecas...
, traditional dancers and the sharing of tamales and atole
Atole
Atole is a traditional masa-based Mexican and Central American hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado or atole...
.
History
For much of the pre Hispanic period, the Los Altos area was inhabited by groups of TecuexeTecuexe
The Tecuexe were an indigenous group found in the eastern part of present day Guadalajara, Mexico-History:It is believed that the Tecuexe derived from the dispersion of Zacateco groups from La Quemada. Like the Zacatecos, the Tecuexe were a tribe belonging to the generic "Chichimeca" peoples...
and Nahuas who formed small independent dominions in the 12th century. Soon after, these dominions would fall under the rule of a single Tecuexe state, with its capital at Metzquititlán.
The first Spanish conquistador in the area was Pedro Almíndez Chirino
Pedro Almíndez Chirino
Pedro Almíndez Chirino was a conquistador and member of several councils that governed New Spain while Hernán Cortés was traveling to Honduras, in 1525-26...
, sent from Cuitzeo by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán or sometimes Nuño de Guzmán was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was Governor of the province of Pánuco from 1525–1533, and of Nueva Galicia from 1529–1534, President of the first Audiencia from 1528-30. He founded several cities in...
. It was placed firmly into Spanish control by Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate was a Spanish Basque explorer, conquistador and colonial official in New Spain. He is considered the founder of the contemporary city of Guadalajara in 1531, as well as other places in Nueva Galicia .-Background:Oñate was born in 1552 in Vitoria or Oñate, in the Basque country...
after he conquered the nearby Caxcan
Caxcan
The Caxcan were a partly nomadic indigenous people of Mexico. Under their leader, Francisco Tenamaztle, the Caxcan were allied with the Zacatecos against the Spaniards during the Mixtón Rebellion. During the rebellion, they were described as "the heart and the center of the Indian Rebellion". They...
s in Teocaltiche
Teocaltiche
Teocaltiche is a city and municipality in the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco. Teocaltiche is located in the northeastern highlands region of Jalisco, commonly referred to in Spanish as "Los Altos de Jalisco"...
. The Mixtón Rebellion
Mixtón Rebellion
The Mixtón War was fought from 1540 until 1542 between Spanish invaders and their Aztec and Tlaxcalan allies against the Caxcanes and other semi-nomadic Indians of the area of north western Mexico...
in the Guadalajara area prompted measures to populate and fortify this area under the supervision of the Franciscans . San Juan’s origins date to 1542, when the indigenous population of a village called San Gaspar was sent here, naming the new village San Juan Bautista de Mezquititlán. However by the end of the 16th century, the town was still little more than a group of small houses, with a small hermitage. This hermitage, built by Friar Miguel de Bolonia, was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
. This structure was the first home of a very small image of the Virgin Mary, believed to have been brought to the area from Michoacán either by Bolonia or by Friar Antonio de Segovia. Over time, moths damaged the statue and it was packed away in a corner of the sacristy. It remained there until 1632 when it was part of the first major miracle ascribed to it. After this, the image was taken to Guadalajara to be restored, and it was then returned to San Juan. Pilgrimages soon began to the miraculous image, with pilgrims leaving valuable offerings, which permitted the building of larger and grander churches for the image. The first chapel to the image was built in 1638, which is now the Chapel of the First Miracle.
From the 1542 to 1623, San Juan had been an indigenous community. Colonial authorities decided to “Hispanicize” the area, bringing in a large number of Spanish and mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s from neighboring areas, mostly through land grants. Many of these new residents came from an area called Santa María de los Lagos in what is now Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
. This prompted the changing of the town’s name to San Juan de los Lagos. Shortly after this influx of newcomers, the number of indigenous in the town dropped to less than one quarter.
During the colonial era, the San Juan’s importance grew as a pilgrimage center because of the miracles ascribed to the Virgin Mary image. This influx of pilgrims also spurred the town’s development as a regional commercial center, as it provided a large concentration of potential customers. This led to an annual fair which coincided with the busiest pilgrimage season, the time around Candlemas. This economic impact became evident relatively early in the colonial period.
San Juan had a number of advantages that led to its growing importance during the colonial period. First, there was a relative dearth of native pilgrimage sites in northern Mexico, as most sites are churches dedicated to Virgin and Christ images physically located in other parts of the country. This Virgin, along with the one in Zapopan
Zapopan
Zapopan is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, which is part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. It is best known as being the home of the Virgin of Zapopan, an image of the Virgin Mary which was made in the 16th century. This image has been credited with a number of...
, were considered “frontier Virgins.” Another important factor is that San Juan lies on the border between northern and central Mexico in an area now known as the Los Altos de Jalisco region and as such was an area frequently traveled through. The area lies where a number of roads connecting mining and cattle raising areas intersect. The royal road which linked Tampico, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, commonly called SLP or simply San Luis, is the capital of, and most populous city in the Mexican state of the same name. The city lies at an elevation of 1,850 meters...
and Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
passed through here, intersecting with that connecting Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and Santa Fé
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. This has made it relatively easy to access and prompted authorities to build and maintain roads and bridges in the area, including a main highway connecting it to Guadalajara in 1717. The annual fair drew merchants from Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, San Juan del Río
San Juan del Río
N20 23 23 W99 59 49San Juan del Río is a city and administrative seat of the surrounding San Juan del Río Municipality in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. The population in July, 2007 is calculated in 128,270 for the city and 217,980 for the municipality.The city and municipality both rank...
, Valle de Santiago, Celaya
Celaya
Celaya is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a...
, Guadalajara, Valladolid
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
The city of Aguascalientes is the capital of the state of Aguascalientes in western central Mexico. It stands on the banks of the Río Aguascalientes, 1880 meters above sea level, at...
and Zacatecas, many to sell merchandise imported through the ports of Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
or Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
.
The annual fair and other commercial activity steadily grew in the 17th and 18th century until the annual fair was formally recognized by royal decree in Spain in 1797. However, the annual fair and the area’s economic importance declined in the early 19th century, in part due to suppression by colonial authorities because of the insurgent tendencies of the area. Royalist troops pursuing Miguel Hidalgo passed through the area in 1811. Although the area did recover economically after the War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, it did not have the same relative value as it did before.
In 1824, the area was reorganized politically and the town gained its status as a municipal seat. It was named a city again in 1869.
Various clashes during the Cristero War
Cristero War
The Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 was an uprising and counter-revolution against the Mexican government in power at that time. The rebellion was set off by the strict enforcement of the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the expansion of further anti-clerical laws...
occurred in the area between 1926 and 1929.
The diocese of San Juan was erected in 1972 as part of the archdiocese of Guadalajara.
The current seal was authorized by the municipality in 1987, designed by Gabriel Camarena Gutiérrez de Laria.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II came as a pilgrim and offered mass to a crowd of six million.
Environment
The town of San Juan de Los Lagos is in Jalisco state, about two hours northeast of Guadalajara, in the northeast corner of the state. The municipality is located in a region called Los Altos. It has a territory of 874.47km2, bordering the municipalities of TeocalticheTeocaltiche
Teocaltiche is a city and municipality in the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco. Teocaltiche is located in the northeastern highlands region of Jalisco, commonly referred to in Spanish as "Los Altos de Jalisco"...
, Encarnación de Díaz
Encarnación de Díaz
Encarnación de Díaz is a town and municipality located in the far northeast of the state of Jalisco in north central Mexico. It is located in a natural pass that connects the Los Altos region of Jalisco to points north, and from pre Hispanic times until the 20th century, it was a major thoroughfare...
, Jolostotitlán, San Miguel el Alto
San Miguel El Alto
San Miguel el Alto is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 580 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 40,000.The municipality includes the town of San José de los Reynoso....
, San Julián
San Julián, Jalisco
San Julián is a city and municipality of about 26,000 people in the Altos region of the Mexican state of Jalisco. San Julian is a town and people of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Located northeast of Jalisco, in the Southern Highlands Region. Its land area is 268.44 km 2 and is located within...
, Unión de San Antonio
Unión de San Antonio
Unión de San Antonio is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is named after Saint Anthony of Padua since the first church built there was in his honor. As of 2005, the municipality had a population of 15,484. It is located about west of León, Guanajuato...
and Lagos de Moreno
Lagos de Moreno
Lagos de Moreno is a city and its surrounding municipal area of the same name, located in the extreme northeastern part of the state of Jalisco in Mexico...
.
The municipality an average altitude of 1750 meters above sea level with most of the area is flat or with rolling hills with a difference in altitude of only 200 meters. The low point is at the San Juan River at 1700 meters and the high point is to the south at the Lozano and Los Indios Mesas at about 1900 meters.
The climate is relatively dry, and relatively warm with mild winters. The average annual temperature is 19.1C, with about 19 days experiencing below freezing temperatures. Most precipitation falls in June and July amounting to about 715mm per year.
The area is part of the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
/Lake Chapala
Lake Chapala
Lake Chapala is Mexico's largest freshwater lake. It lies in the municipalities of Chapala, Jocotepec , Poncitlán, and Jamay, in Jalisco, and in Venustiano Carranza and Cojumatlán de Régules, in Michoacán.- Geographic Features :...
/Santiago River basin and the Verde/Grande de Belén/Santiago-Atotonilco River sub-basin. The main rivers through the municipality are San Juan (Lagos) and El Agostadero, with three dams Peña de León, Los Laureles and Alcalá. Streams include El Cedral, El Carrizo, San Antonio, El Barroso, El Corralillo, La Cañada, Mata Gorda, El Maguey, El Arrastradero, El Chilarillo, Santa Rosa, Los Trujillos and La Labor. There are also a number of fresh water springs including Santa Rosa and Charco del Tigre.
Most of the municipality is covered in arid grassland and other dry area plants such as cactus, maguey and arid scrub. About three hundred hectares is filled with dense vegetation, mostly cactus and thorny scrub. Predominant wildlife includes: coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, puma
Puma
The cougar , also known as puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount or panther, depending on the region, is a mammal of the family Felidae, native to the Americas...
s, wildcats, wolves, deer (only in areas with abundant vegetation), rabbits, squirrels, opossums, armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
s and moles
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
.
Socioeconomics
The municipality as a whole is ranked has having a medium level of socioeconomic marginalization. Of the 260 active communities, most are designated as having a medium or high level of marginalization. However, since the vast majority of the municipality’s population lives in the town of San Juan de los Lagos proper, which has a low level of marginalization, the ameliorates the situation. As of 2010, there were 15,088 housing units in the municipality. Most housing is privately owned by its occupants, mostly with a poured concrete foundation and with walks of cinderblock, bricks or adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
. Roofs are mostly of poured concrete or vaults made with bricks. Basic services such as running water and electricity are available in about 90% of homes.
Agriculture takes up about half of the municipality’s territory, with most farmland privately owned. It employs about 22% of the working population. Principle crops are corn, beans and sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, with livestock consisting of meat and dairy cattle, oxen, pigs, sheep, goats and domestic fowl. There is also some fish farming producing catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
and mojarra
Mojarra
The mojarras are a family, Gerreidae, of fishes in the order Perciformes. It has seven genera.Mojarras are a common prey and bait fish in many parts of the Caribbean including the South American Coast and Caribbean islands. These species tend to be difficult to identify in the field and often...
for local consumption. There is some exploitation of mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
trees for wood.
Mining and industry employ about 24% of the working population. Mining mostly consists of sandstone production for construction with some deposits of marble and other construction materials. Most industry consists of food processing, much of which is destined for sale to the tourist market. This is particularly true for the production and sale of cajeta or dulce de leche
Dulce de leche
Dulce de leche is a thick,creamy, caramel-like milk-based sauce or spread.Literally translated, dulce de leche means "sweet from milk". It is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelised sugar. It is a popular sweet in Latin America, where...
. This is a common traditional product as the Los Altos region is the fifth highest producer of dairy products in the country. Other products include ice, construction materials, ironworking, textiles and furniture.
Handcrafts include embroidered clothing for women as well as the weaving of wool items such as sarapes, rebozo
Rebozo
A rebozo is a woman's garment used in Mexico. Rectangular in shape, rebozos vary in size from 1.5 to upwards of three metres, and can be made of cotton, wool, silk, or articela. They can be worn as scarves or shawls, and women often use them to carry children and take products to the market. It is...
s, quezquémetl
Quezquémetl
A quezquémetl is a garment to protect and adorn the traditional dress of the women in the Mexican "Sierra Huasteca" it is made from two woven rectangles where the short edge is stitched to the long edge, giving the appearance of a V shape....
s and other textiles, herbal medicines, leather items such as bags, belts and wallets are made as well as ceramics and carved stone items. Clothing for charro
Charro
Charro is a term referring to a traditional horseman from Mexico, originating in the central-western regions primarily in the state of Jalisco including: Zacatecas, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla...
s can be found here from heavily embroidered jackets and pants to embroidered belts called “piteado
Piteado
Piteado is an artisan technique where pita or ixtle is embroidered onto leather in decorative patterns. The technique is used to make belts, sandals, hair bands, saddles, and other leather accessories...
.” Another common handcraft is religious items for sale to visitors, such as reliquaries, candles, images of the Virgin and rosaries made from the local white stone. Many of the areas handcrafts are sold on the stores and street stalls around the main plaza and basilica. These items are either made locally or brought in from other states in central Mexico.
Just under fifty percent of the working population is dedicated to commerce and services, with most of this related to tourism to the town of San Juan de los Lagos, followed by businesses catering to local, mostly primary, needs. This translates to a population of about 40,000 residents who cater to the needs of about seven million or so pilgrims per year. The town has frequent bus service, and is accessible by expressway. However, this tourism is almost purely domestic. Most English language guidebooks do not even mention San Juan de los Lagos.
The municipality
It has 260 active communities with a total population of 65,219 (2010); however most of these are extremely small and rural with only one community having more than 700 residents, the seat. Outside the town of San Juan, other important communities include Mezquitic de la Magdalena, Halconero de Arriba, La Sauceda, Antenas (Cañada de Pérez), El Sauz de Ibarra and San Antonio de la Barrera. In total, there are 298 named locations in the municipality, but 38 have been abandoned.In 2005, 111 spoke an indigenous language, up from 24 in 1995, and 95% are Catholic.
The municipality has seventeen preschools, 65 primary schools, seven middle schools two high schools and one vocational/technical school. About 90% of the population is literate; however, the rate was about only half of the population until the 1990s.
Another pilgrimage site is that of the Santo Niño de Mezquitic, also called the Niño Cacahuate, whose feast day is 17 September. This image is located in a small church constructed for it in the community of Mezquitic de la Magdalena, four km outside the town of San Juan. The construction is Neoclassical and dates from the 18th century. The image itself is five centimeters tall contained in a peanut shell, which gives it the name of Niño Cacahuate. The veneration of this image began in 1810, but it has grown in the past two decades. Its rise in popularity has made the community another destination for religious tourism in the area.