The Procesión del Silencio is a solemn Holy Week tradition observed in La Piedad and throughout Mexico’s Bajío region, in which a statue of Jesus’s body is carried through the city in a funeral procession to reenact the transfer of his body to the Holy Sepulchre, accompanied only by the beat of a drum and conducted in complete silence. The practice is believed to date back to the 16th century, rooted in the Spanish spiritual conquest of Latin America, and has remained a deeply communal ritual that draws even non-religious locals to participate out of respect for tradition.

This week, we explore a procession in the state of Michoacán, as we learn Spanish on the way. If you would like to read the original article, click here.