Festivals in March-April San Miguel de Allende
In March-April, in San Miguel de Allende there are four main festivals:
- The 1st Friday in March is Cristo de la Conquista or Feast of Our Lord of the Conquest
- March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day or Dia de San Patricio
- Depending on which month Easter falls, the two holidays, listed below, will be celebrated in either March of April
- Night of alters, Friday before holy week or Viernes de Dolores
- Semana Santa or Holy Week, click here to know more
Cristo de la Conquista or Feast of Our Lord of the Conquest
The first Friday in March is Cristo de la Conquista or Feast of Our Lord of the Conquest. This begins the Easter festivities. Inside the Parroquia, there is a 16th century rendition of Christ made of cornstalks and orchid bulbs. This was thought to have been brought to San Miguel de Allende from Patzcuaro. It signifies the acceptance of Christianity, by the indigenous people of Mexico. The Feast of Our Lord of
The Conquest†is celebrated with Chichimeca dancers,adorned in colorful pre-Hispanic costumes and plumed headdresses. The dancers
burn incense and the truly faithful recite 33 prayers, one for each year of Christ’s life. They perform in front of the Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende. Even animals are dressed for the occasion. There are also splendid fireworks at night.
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Saint Patrick’s Day in San Miguel de Allende
Saint Patrick’s Day in San Miguel de Allende
March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day or Dia de San Patricio’s. It is an Irish/Celtic festival. It is celebrated by a parade through the city of San Miguel de Allende and highlights traditional Irish food and music.
In Mexico, Saint Patrick’s Day is also celebrated to honor Los San Patricios, The St. Patrick’s Battalion, who fought in the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848.
Who were these soldiers?
Batallón de San Patricio was a unit of 175 to several hundred immigrants (accounts vary) and expatriates of European descent. Most of the battalion’s members had deserted or defected from the U.S. Army. The Battalion was made up primarily of ethnic Irish and German Catholic immigrants, the battalion also included Canadians, English, French, Italians, Poles, Scots, Spaniards, Swiss, and native Mexicans, most of whom were also Roman Catholics. Disfranchised Americans were also in the ranks, including African Americans who had escaped from slavery in the American South.
Why did they defect to the Mexican Army?
The Mexican government offered incentives to foreigners who would enlist in its army: it granted them citizenship, paid higher wages than the U.S. Army and gave generous land grants. None of the members of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, except for a few Americans, had yet become a U.S. citizen.
Numerous theories have been proposed as to their motives for desertion, including cultural alienation mistreatment of immigrant conscripts by nativist soldiers and senior officers, their not being allowed to attend Sunday Mass or to practice their religion freely, the incentive of higher wages and land grants starting at 320 acres offered by Mexico, and their witnessing poor conduct of U.S. troops following battle victories.
Some historians believed a primary motivation was shared religion with the Mexicans and sympathy for the Mexican cause, likely based on similarities between the situations in Mexico and Ireland.
The Treaty of Guadalupe
Outnumbered militarily and with many of its large cities occupied, Mexico could not defend itself and was also faced with internal divisions. It had little choice but to make peace on any terms.The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848,, ended the war and gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, established the U.S.-Mexican border of the Rio Grande River, and ceded to the United States the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. In return Mexico received US $18,250,000 ($457,373,077 today)—less than half the amount the U.S. had attempted to offer Mexico for the land before the opening of hostilities—and the U.S. agreed to assume $3.25-million ($81,450,000 today) in debts that the Mexican government owed to U.S. citizens
After The war, The Trials, The Hangings…
After the war, The San Patricios were captured by the U.S. Army. They were treated and punished as traitors for desertion in time of war. In addition, they had been responsible for some of the toughest fighting (and the heaviest casualties) that the U.S. Army had faced. Seventy-two men were immediately charged with desertion by the Army.
Most of the convicted San Patricios were sentenced to death by hanging. The rationale was that they had entered Mexican military service following the declaration of war. Execution by hanging was in violation of the contemporary Articles of War, which stipulated that the penalty for desertion and/or defecting to the enemy during a time of war was death by firing squad, regardless of the circumstances.
Hanging was reserved only for spies (without uniform) and for “atrocities against civilians”, neither of which activities were among the charges brought against any members of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion. More than 9,000 U.S. soldiers deserted during the Mexican-American War, and only the San Patricios were punished by hanging.
Why are They Considered Heroes in Mexico?
A main reason for their hero status in Mexico is derived from their exemplary performance in the battlefield. The San Patricios ultimately suffered severe casualties at the famous battle at Churubusco, which is considered the Waterloo for the Mexican Army in this war. Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who also commanded the armed forces, stated afterwards that if he had commanded a few hundred more men like the San Patricios, Mexico would have won that ill-famed battle.
While the brave soldiers of Saint Patrick’s Battalion are not particularly well-known outside Mexico, it is clear that their god-like status in Mexico is enough to compensate for the attention they failed to receive in other countries. There is still a fond memory of “Los Colorados” the red-headed Irishmen who gave their lives in the struggle for Mexican sovereignty.
There are Irish names in prominent places – if you can recognize them. There’s “O’Brien City,” for instance, better known as Ciudad Obregon in the northern state of Sonora. Alvaro Obregon (1880-1928) was a famous and admired Mexican soldier and statesman.
Today few towns in Mexico are without a street by the name. O’Brien became the Spanish “Obregon.”
Mexico and Ireland Recognize The San Patricio’s
There was a large celebration in 1983, which the Mexican government issued a commemorative plaque honoring Los San Patricios. A special mass was held, schoolchildren placed a wreath at the plaque, the Mexico City Symphony played the national anthems of both Ireland and Mexico.
In 1993, the Irish began honoring these soldiers with an annual celebration in Clifden County, Galway Ireland. This was John Riley’s hometown. John Riley was the leader of the Saint Patrick’s battalion.
View the Documentary of the San Patricios
The commemorative plaque to Los San Patricios Battalion
School kids carrying St. Patick
