Season of Los Gremios

September marks a special time of the year when colorful religious processions called Los Gremios begin on Sept. 14th at Merida´s Cathedral on the Main Plaza. On that day the Christ of the Blisters is removed from its chapel at 10:30 AM and Mass is said at 11AM.

Then the Cathedral is the site of the religious pilgrimages from Sept. 27th to Oct. 17th. For tourists this is an opportunity to see the locals during a traditionally sacred time. For the locals it is a time to participate in their religious rituals.

Daily from 11AM to 1PM you will have the chance to get a glimpse as the various syndicates pay homage and give thanks.
The gremios are the syndicates of the different professions in Merida - taxi drivers, shoeshine boys, butchers, bakers, henequen workers, shoemakers, market stall vendors, carpenters and more. Each group reserves a day in the Cathedral for their procession.

You will see the people of these groups parade around the plaza to the music of a simple steel band, singing and shooting off fireworks. With their hand-embroidered banners and flags, many ladies are dressed in the typical also hand-embroidered shift type dress, the huipil (wee-PEEL), and the men in white pants and white guayaberas. Mass is held  at 11 AM. The entrance and exit of the groups is the part that is colorful and folkloric. Both these times are wonderful photo opportunities.

There is a special procession on Oct. 9 when the Christ of the Blisters is paraded around inside the Cathedral at 6 PM. The gremios end on Oct. 17th with a procession around the Main Plaza and the Christ of the Blisters being returned to its chapel in the Cathedral at 1 PM.

These celebrations date back to 1654 when the huge Christ figure image was brought to the Cathedral from the village of Ichmul after a terrible fire destroyed everything except for the wooden Christ figure that ended up with blistered wood. Hence the name, Christ of the Blisters.

Above: the pilgrimages at the Christ Saint of the Transfiguration church in Citilcum, Yucatan. Photo by Humberto Suaste.

September processions:
27   Construcion workers
28   Small business owners
29   Devotees of Christ
30   Mirror, aluminun and glass workers

October processions:
1   Shoemakers
2   Seamstresses and embroiders
3   Chauffeurs
4   Painters
5   Mechanics and ironworkers
6   Carpenters
7   Ladies
8   Business owners &  hacienda owners
9   Shop owners
10 Shop owners and workers
11 Teachers and students
12 Bakers
13 Train workers
14 Trinket stall owners / employees
15 Professional people
16 Market stall workers

To read in Spanish click here