ADIOS TAMBIEN MI RANCHITO...ADIOS TODO TAMAULIPAS, ADIOS VIRGEN DEL CHORRITO...

By Dalia Gutierrez

El Norte

It was three o'clock in the morning on Three Kings' Day (Dia de los Reyes Magos) when, moved by their faith, families from various rural communities in Linares began their journey to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of El Chorrito in Tamaulipas, a traditional pilgrimage with more than seven decades of history.

While many were still asleep, about 70 pilgrims prepared their carts, oxen, horses, and pickup trucks, which help them travel the approximately one hundred kilometers to their destination, which they reached on Friday after four days of travel.

"All of us who come here, we come with that faith," says 65-year-old Aarón Villarreal, who has been making this journey with his family for decades.

"I've been coming since I can remember," he adds proudly.

At the foot of the Sierra Madre Oriental, in the Tamaulipas municipality of Hidalgo, lies a popular site that embraces devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage centers in northeastern Mexico.

Called "El Chorrito" (The Little Stream) in honor of the town's spring-fed waterfalls, its main attraction is the stone cave where, according to local tradition, the falling water formed an image resembling that of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

They then called it the "Virgin of the Drop( Gota)," until in 1939 the ecclesiastical authorities commissioned the current image to be sculpted on one of the stalactites.

Among the many pilgrimages to this place, the caravan of carts that departs from Linares stands out, with children, adults, and elderly people from communities such as Jesús María Pontezuelas, Carricitos, La Papa, El Gallo, El Pretil, and San Antonio.

These are families who have maintained this ritual for more than seventy years, passing the tradition down from generation to generation.

"It has the beauty of preserving the old tradition of provisions, and the ox teams and carts," notes the commentator Alberto Rodríguez. "This tradition has continued through several families, passing the baton to several generations. Sometimes some go, sometimes others go, but they do it every year." 

These are families from a region that used to be dedicated to farming, but the economic crisis led many to migrate to the United States. The pilgrimage in January is linked to the fact that these dates coincide with the return of family members who come to visit their hometown.

They set off in carts, on horseback, or alternating between walking and riding in pickup trucks, depending on their means.

With provisions of pumpkin empanadas, cookies, and wheat tortillas, they walk along the dirt roads between communal lands, camping overnight until they reach "El Chorrito," where they visit the Virgin Mary, stay for three more nights, and then begin their journey home.

This year's caravan consists of 25 families, who faced intense heat on the way there and will surely endure cold, rainy days on the return trip.

"This tradition is truly beautiful," shares Blanca Elizabeth Pérez, who has been making this journey with her family for almost 30 years.

"What we like most is the camaraderie among all the families who come."

Some make the pilgrimage to give thanks for blessings received or to fulfill promises, while others do it simply for the joy of maintaining a tradition of faith.

To read entire story in Spanish, click on link: https://www.elnorte.com/una-peregrinacion-centenaria/ar3133872?utm_source=bcm_nl_noticias_norte&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_noticias_elnorte_20260111&utm_term=usr_registrado