Open Category: Photojournalism / Story (AMATEUR) - HONORABLE MENTION
For Her Sake – Women’s Pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe
Photo © Francisco Alcala Torreslanda
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During the last 57 years, women from the State of Queretaro Mexico have walked every year from their communities to the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe. The Basilica is a Roman Catholic Church built near the hill of Tepeyac where the Lady of Guadalupe is believed to have appeared to Juan Diego in the early 16th century. The Basilica houses the original cloak, which holds the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Approximately 20 million people visit the Sanctuary every year, which makes it one of the most important and frequented Christian Sanctuaries in the World.
For some women the pilgrimage is 17 days and more than 270 miles while for most is around 140 miles and 8 days. In July 2016, close to 20,000 women of all ages made the journey walking through step mountains, valleys, dirt roads, and highways, bearing the heat, cold, high humidity, and rain. Several of them have made the yearly journey more than 50 years.
This photographer decided to live the experience walking with the women in their 17 day pilgrimage, getting an insider view of their motivations and more importantly living with them the heavily loaded emotional journey. It has become clear that there are no big enough obstacles to stop them from getting to the Basilica to visit their beloved Lady of Guadalupe…only for her sake.
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During the last 57 years, women from the State of Queretaro Mexico have walked every year from their communities to the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe. The Basilica is a Roman Catholic Church built near the hill of Tepeyac where the Lady of Guadalupe is believed to have appeared to Juan Diego in the early 16th century. The Basilica houses the original cloak, which holds the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Approximately 20 million people visit the Sanctuary every year, which makes it one of the most important and frequented Christian Sanctuaries in the World.
For some women the pilgrimage is 17 days and more than 270 miles while for most is around 140 miles and 8 days. In July 2016, close to 20,000 women of all ages made the journey walking through step mountains, valleys, dirt roads, and highways, bearing the heat, cold, high humidity, and rain. Several of them have made the yearly journey more than 50 years.
This photographer decided to live the experience walking with the women in their 17 day pilgrimage, getting an insider view of their motivations and more importantly living with them the heavily loaded emotional journey. It has become clear that there are no big enough obstacles to stop them from getting to the Basilica to visit their beloved Lady of Guadalupe…only for her sake.
About author:
Francisco Alcalá Torreslanda uses his camera and his artistic skills to give a bold voice to the marginalised people. He is conscious that delivering effectively on this statement requires a long-term commitment to his subjects and the development of strong relationships based on trust. The images he creates are positive and engaging reflecting his profound respect and admiration for individuals irrespectively of their race, gender or socio-economic level. His views on the huge benefits of empowering people to enable sustainable economic development are the result of what he learned with a successful 30 year career leading manufacturing plants and logistics operations in Latin-America, Asia and Australia. Due to his love for photography and desire to contribute to social development, he retired at the end of 2013 from his position as Vice President Latin-America Supply Chain to accelerate the completion of his Photography Master in Fine Arts with the Academy of Art University and to focus his time in his current project with women in rural communities in the state of Queretaro, Mexico.BACK TO GALLERY