In 2007 my boyfriend Jack and I went to San Miguel de Allende to experience Semana Santa (Holy Week). This was our first visit to this part of Mexico. Ever since I had seen photographs taken by the American photographer Deborah Turbeville, who lived in San Miguel, I had wanted to go there. It was the color of San Miguel, which enticed me to visit this place.

When I arrived I wasn’t disappointed. The Jardin or the main square had neatly manicured laurel trees, anchored by the Parroquia, deep rust colored buildings, magenta bougambilia trees, churrigueresque facades, curvy cobblestone streets and stone work. We loved taking walks in the Parque Juarez where we could see snowy egrets. At the end of the park was El Chorro where we could see the local women doing their hand washing.

While there we went to visit the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, which is about eight miles outside of San Miguel. It was built in the 18th century. It was named a World Heritage Site in 2008. The interior of the church is completely covered with murals and sculpture, which is done in the Mexican folk Baroque style.

On Wednesday of Semana Santa in the neighborhood of San Juan de Dios in San Miguel, there were children dressed as angels who were accompanied by Roman soldiers. On Thursday evening we visited many of the churches in town that had altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We were surprised we had to wait in long lines before we were able to enter all of the churches. The people were very devoted to their faith.

There were plenty of processions taking place in San Miguel throughout the week. On Thursday of Semana Santa we traveled to Cadereytra to see the procession of 400 Cristos. Many of the pilgrims carried multi-colored crepe paper poles and crucifixes.

On Good Friday morning we went back to the San Juan de Dios neighborhood to see another procession. There were processional floats with the Virgin Mary and the Christ of the Column who had been brought over from Atotonilco. That afternoon we traveled to the city of Querétaro, which is southeast of San Miguel in the state of Querétaro to witness their Procesión del Silencio. The Spanish founded this colonial city in the 16th century. It had incredibly beautiful churches and public squares. It was a real jewel.

Easter Sunday was spent on the Jardin to watch the Judases blown up which are giant papier-mache figures that are strung from the buildings. As George Bush was president then, many of them had a canny resemblance to him. It was a playful way to end the season of Lent.

I have since visited other places in Mexico for Semana Santa, mainly Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro. I found Semana Santa in San Miguel very moving, as it was full of devotion and a deep display of faith. It was extremely reverent. All the activities didn’t seem to be designed for all the tourists that were in town. It was only in the 1990s that Oaxaca started the Procesión del Silencio. I was told it originated as an event for all the tourists that came to Oaxaca City during this time of year. For myself, I thought Semana Santa in San Miguel was better than what I saw in Pátzcuaro, which was a low-key affair, compared to what I had seen in Oaxaca as well. The two weeks of activities in San Miguel have gone back for centuries. It was beautiful to witness.