By the time we arrived at our destination in Santa Catarina Juquila, the trip that was supposed to take four hours, took seven. I couldn't let that stop me though, I only had one night. I wanted to visit El Pedimento, a shrine on a hill in the nearby town of Amialtepec, where the Virgin of Juquila was first discovered. I found a taxi to take me there before the sun went down. The photos above are of my view from the passenger's seat.
The earth beneath the shrine at El Pedimento is dense clay, and is considered sacred and believed to have healing properties. People use the clay to sculpt the figures of little trucks, horses, houses, children, and body parts in need of healing. A pedimento is a small offering that represents what you hope to receive in the coming year. People make pilgrimages to this site to make their requests with a promise to return the following year to give thanks to the Virgin for favors granted.
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