Juquila

Virgen of Juquila

Juquila is a village of about 5,500 residents in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. Officially named Santa Catarina Juquila (an overly long name used by nobody), it is a town of limited broad appeal, but huge appeal to faithful pilgrims who come to the town to venerate a small statue of the Virgin Mary that survived a catastrophic fire that burned everything in town sparing only the doll-sized figure, known as the Virgen de Juquila. The town is a pleasant Oaxacan small town with colonial architecture, indigenous craftsmen, and delicious regional cuisine, but it is really the small religious icon that makes travelers (almost 2 million of them per year) flock to the town. The town is otherwise unremarkable and one of the least interesting of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos. If you're passing through the area, it may be worth a stop, otherwise, prepare to be underwhelmed.

Understand

Story of the Virgin

The story of the town's iconic statue begins in 1552 when Dominican friar Jordan Santa Catarina arrived to evangelize and convert the indigenous population to Christianity. He brought with him a small statue of the virgen, which he gave to a local from the nearby village of Amialtepec. In 1633, fire swept through that village. The statue survived, completely intact, though the fire destroyed everything else in the entire village. At the beginning of the 18th century, the statue was moved to Juquila, where the sanctuary was built specifically to house it. (The sanctuary is not the town's main church).

The feast celebration culminates on the 8th of December of each year, although celebrations typically begin several days earlier. Thousands of people arrive in town to join the celebrations.

Get in

Getting to Juquila can be challenge because it is not served by any direct bus services and the nearest major city (Oaxaca) is 5 to 6 hours away.

The fastest way to get to Juquila is to fly into Puerto Escondido (PXM ^IATA), which is served by smaller commuter aircraft from Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX ^IATA). Then take a taxi to Juquila. It's a 90-minute drive on twisty mountain roads but will probably only cost about M$150.

Get around

The town is pretty small and walking is often the best way to get anywhere. Taxis are readily available, including moto-taxis. There is a sitio on the street right next to the sanctuary. Hotel receptionists can also call a taxi for you.

See

• 1 Santuario de Nuestra Señora Inmaculada de Juquila (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Juquila), Revolucion Grande. Sa-Th 07:00 - 22:00, closed F. Beautiful colonial era church with clean white walls and a bright interior. Aside from being the home of a famous icon, the church is otherwise unremarkable in a country with thousands of even more beautiful historic churches. Pilgrims adore the small figure of the virgen while casual visitors wonder why such a fuss is made and how so many trinket and food vendors can manage to capitalize on its fame. 

Do

Festivals

• Feast of the Virgen of Juquila - December 8 each year marks the feast day for the virgin. The town is flooded with pilgrims from across Latin America, coming to celebrate the miracle of the statue's survival and to pray for other miracles.

Buy

• 1 Mercado Municipal Miguel Hidalgo, Grande. Daily 08:00 - 21:00. Traditional town marketplace with vendors selling fresh produce, freshly slaughtered meat, prepared regional dishes, housewares, and this being Oaxaca, lots and lots of locally made mezcal. (updated Feb 2024)

Eat

Tlayudas are popular in this area. There are several street food vendors selling them and you can get them in the town marketplace.

• 1 La Reliquia, 5 de Mayo, San Nicolas, ☏ +52 954 130 1039. Daily 08:00 - 22:00. Comfortably casual coffee shop that serves a variety of lattes, cappucinos, etc. along with having a full bar and serving light food such as pizzas. M$200. 
• 2 Rosarito, Oaxaca Rio Grande - Sta Catarina Juquila, San Nicolas, ☏ +52 954 524 0347. M-Sa 08:00 - 20:00, closed Su. Clean, family-friendly casual restaurant. Good breakfast with fresh sweetbreads, pancakes, and gourmet coffee. M$200. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 La Creperia, Libramiento del Hospital, ☏ +52 954 127 9358. Daily 16:00 - 22:00. Casual open-air crepes restaurant serving French-style thin pancakes with fruit and accompaniments as well as gourmet coffees. M$150. (updated Feb 2024)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel San Pedro, San Nicolas, ☏ +52 954 127 1150. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with somewhat small rooms with basic furnishings. Off-street parking available. M$500. (updated Feb 2024)
• 2 Los Cedros, Antonio Valdes s/n, ☏ +52 954 524 0301. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with comfortable rooms with basic furnishings. Off-street parking. On-site restaurant. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 Hotel Santa Fe, Revolucion Grande, ☏ +52 954 524 0139. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with clean basic rooms. No on-site parking. WiFi is a bit flaky and slow. (updated Feb 2024)
• 4 Hotel Juquila Plaza, Revolucion 4, Grande (in front of the sanctuary), ☏ +52 954 524 0066. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with modern decor, cable TV, free WiFi. (updated Feb 2024)

Go next

• Puerto Escondido
• Huatulco
• Lagunas de Chacahua National Park