Fiestas de San Francisco

Like most of Mexico, each town at Lake Chapala has its patron saint and patroness. Many neighborhoods in these towns also have their own saint or Marian apparition.

The most important of these is the patrón or patrona del pueblo. They usually get a nine- or even 12-day fiesta that includes daily processions with dancers, music, fireworks, carnival rides, and games.

Chapala’s patron saint is Saint Francis, whose nine-day novenario starts on September 26 and lasts until October 4. Each day is sponsored by a different group of people in the town, such as gardeners, merchants, masons or truck drivers.

Evening processions every day

A procession happens every evening with people from the sponsored groups taking turns carrying the wooden image of Saint Francis to the church. The rest of the sponsors and neighborhood follow behind them.

Ahead of them Aztec dancers and a couple of youth marching bands lead the way.

In past years, the procession was only on the main avenue, perfect for the large trucks and fire engines.

Mass happens after the procession ends at Church San Francisco, which lasts about an hour.

Lots of people and families spend time after at the games and rides on the malecón, with live music playing until late.

Time and Location

Each procession starts at 6 p.m. from a different neighborhood every evening, taking an alternate route before arriving on the main avenue, Francisco Madero. Visit the church’s Facebook page for a map of the current day’s route, usually posted the day before.

The route for October 3, 2024 is:

All of the processions end at Church San Francisco near the malecón at 7 p.m., just in time for mass.

If you have trouble locating the procession, you can use the sound of the exploding rockets, called cohetes, to help you determine its progress. Keep your ears open for the loud explosions 100 feet above and head in that direction. They usually begin about 15 minutes before and act as a first call, alerting everyone in town that the procession is about to start and where. They continue throughout the procession until the end.