More Info
The fiesta for San Sebastián is a celebration for the patron saint of one of Ajijic’s five barrios or neighborhoods, San Sebastián.
Each January 20, several families in the neighborhood help sponsor the fiesta, which includes a procession, music, a confetti egg fight, and the first appearance in the calendar year of Ajijic’s masked sayacas. The tradition was started about 30 years ago.
Procession Route
The procession should start between 4-4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Marcos Castellanos and Emiliano Zapata Streets and goes to the plaza for a short church service before returning to where the procession started. Then people throw confetti-filled eggs at each other before the night settles into music and dancing outside.
Last updated January 20, 2020
Dane Strom • The Lakeside Guide
I moved to Ajijic in 2010 when I decided to quit my job of seven years as an editorial assistant at The Denver Post in Colorado. I'm the photographer, web designer, programmer, marketer, writer... the everything behind this website, The Lakeside Guide. All of the businesses on this website appear here for free at no cost to them. If you find this site useful, please consider giving a small donation to become a site patron. Learn more about The Lakeside Guide or check out my other website about photography of Mexico.
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Photos of Fiesta de San Sebastián
Aztec dancers perform in front an altar for San Sebastián before the January 20 procession for San Sebastián in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico.
Parishioners carry an image of San Sebastián through the streets of Ajijic during the late afternoon procession.
The Fiesta de San Sebastián is the first time in the calendar year that the town's masked sayacas make an appearance.
Learn more about the sayacas.
Regino Flores rides on a horse during the procession. Regino offers horseback tours in Ajijic that take you through town or to the hills north of town.
Aztec dancers dance before entering the chapel on the Ajijic plaza. The procession arrives at the church, where it stops for about 15 minutes.
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One of the sayacas during the procession. Many of the men who dress up as a sayaco choose to dress as the female version with a dress, purse, and balloons for a bosom.
A man dressed as a sayaca lifts his dress during the Fiesta de San Sebastián in Ajijic.
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A boy dressed as a sayaca. Learn more about the sayacas.
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