Quema de los Judas, Easter Morning Tradition in San Miguel de Allende

by Mark | Apr 8, 2012 | Deep In It | 1 comment

The search for an expat life will take many people to world-famous San Miquel de Allende, Mexico. The spiritual center of Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage city where thousands pilgrimage for Holy Week, San Miguel (SMA) is an expat’s mecca, complete with vortexes, art, history, culture, famous people, and a nearly perfect climate.

It was our first stop in a six-year long journey to find a place abroad that we could call home. That journey has not ended but we have discovered much about the places we visited, the people we met, and ourselves.

Along this path, we published an anthology called At Home Abroad: Today’s Expats Tell Their Stories. Hopefully our three-month stay in San Miguel will catapult you, as it did us, into the wonderful world of living at home abroad.

Image of the book At Home Abroad with a link to purchase

The large crowd gathered after church; lent is over, spring is here, it is time for some fun. Young and old gathered for Quema de los Judas (Destruction of Judases), the destruction of the papier-mâché Judases at the Plaza Principal in San Miguel de Allende. These life-sized figures are filled with candy and treats for the children. Let the destruction begin.

This doesn’t need much introduction. First some photos and then two videos. It is true across cultures, sight humor gets us all.

Here is the lineup

The scene is set. One after another met their fate.

The next scene is graphic in a crowd pleasing, silly sort of way.

One after another, the sequence was the same: a firecracker to start the figure spinning a second to accent the coming of the third and its violent opening of the papier-mâché Judases, quickly followed by the crowd’s laughter and cheers of appreciation. I am not sure this is politically correct today, but the crowd loved the time-honored event.

Here are a couple of videos to give a flavor of the event…