Visits
Operation Basilica 2025 deploys five thousand eighty police officers, patrols, drones and helicopters to guarantee mobility, health and safety of millions of faithful
Juan R. Hernandez
Mexico City.- Mexico City is experiencing the Guadalupe fervor again: more than 13 million pilgrims will arrive between December 5 and 14 at the Basilica of Guadalupeone of the largest religious concentrations on the continent. For this, the Basilica Operation 2025 deployed 5,080 police officers, 255 patrol cars, 73 motorcycles, 15 cranes, two drones, two helicopters, in addition to 13 ambulances, five motorcycle ambulances and more than 100,000 public servants in charge of mobility, health, cleaning and social assistance.
Since December 10, the mayor’s office Gustavo A. Madero began to receive thousands of faithful who came from all regions of the country. Entire families, community groups and solitary walkers fill the streets with color carrying banners, candles and offerings, in a constant flow that turns the capital into a mosaic of faith and tradition.
The Guadalupano atmosphere mixes with the smell of copal, the sound of mariachis and the sale of snacks, in a typical postcard every December.
Official figures indicate that this year there will be more than 12.3 million registered visitors in 2024, consolidating the Tepeyac as the busiest religious destination in the country. The largest pilgrimages come from the State of Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Hidalgo and Puebla, while one of the historically largest caravans is that of Querétaro, which can mobilize up to 50 thousand walkers in a single journey.
Although the majority of attendees are of national origin, the presence of pilgrims from the United States, Central America and South America, members of the Mexican diaspora and religious tourists who join the celebration every year are also notable. In recent years, to serve them, modules with service in English, Chinese and Italian have been installed.
The special operation includes hydration points, medical modules, civil protection brigades and reinforcements in the Metro and Metrobús to facilitate access to the facility. The authorities have urged attendees to use public transportation, respect pedestrian routes and remain attentive to safety instructions.
The expectation is that this human wave passes in peace, reaffirming the religious and cultural identity that makes the Virgin of Guadalupe a national symbol and the Basilica in the spiritual heart of the country.
