Roadside Shrines and Chapels

Anyone who has driven in Mexico has noticed the profusion of monuments that suddenly appear on the shoulders of the highways and byways throughout the country.

Most of these drive-by shrines are memorials to family members and friends who have died in traffic accidents or through violent acts, though I have been informed of some that were placed by grateful survivors as thanks to the deity for their continued existence on our green earth.

These modern day cairns traverse the artistic spectrum from the classic to the surreal, the modern to the primitive. While most revere the Virgin of Guadalupe, many (especially in the northern states) include Jesus Christ or one of a plethora of saints. Some areas seem to have a patron saint (eg: San Judas in northeastern San Luis Potosi).

The modern and elaborate shrines exhibit newer materials; shining tile mosaic, electric light, glass fronted doors and aluminum framed windows with modern architectural motifs. The primitive and simple shrines make do with concrete and brick, candles and lanterns, wrought iron and wood.

One recurring theme is the chapels dedicated to the many professional truck drivers of the occasionally dangerous Mexican highway system. Most of these are located on clearings (double semi-remolques or tractor trailers, need room to park) near dangerous mountain curves. My favorite example of this type is the Santuario del Camionero south of Ciudad Victoria on the mountain road to San Luis Potosi.

Trucker’s Sanctuary

Rising out of the tree covered mountainside, dropping steeply around a hairpin curve after miles of switchback driving over the Sierra Madre Oriental, the Santuario del Camionero rises into view, promising that the worst of this mountain pass is behind you (at least if you’re travelling north…)

Just a half hour south of Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, on the winding old highway rather than the new lower-elevation by-pass, is what I consider the most impressive of the genre of roadside shrines. Large (you could park a tractor trailer inside), well tended and full of religious statuary and adornments, this sanctuary is the shining example of roadside monuments.Truck drivers stop here on their way over the sharply curved, narrow and inclined highway along route 101 to ask for protection on their routes, and particularly over this stretch, that is often shrouded in thick clouds and swirling fog.

Park by the side of the road in the gravel lot and look inside. The main altar is a stone Virgin of Guadalupe surrounded by silk flowers. The floor is carpeted with candles lit by grateful teamsters and fresh flowers placed lovingly by the faithful. Statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ are assigned niches on the side walls, surrounded by pictures, handwritten prayers, candles and small icons, some yellowed with age.

Here’s a small photo gallery of some of the shrines and chapels we’ve come by on our travels around Mexico… many taken totally on the fly as we drove by, mostly from the areas of Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Oaxaca and Veracruz.

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Originally posted 2009-07-22 15:48:26.