A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe is silhouetted against a sunrise in one of the world's largest religious pilgrimages marking the feast day of the patroness of Latin America, in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Millions of faithful gathered to mark Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe Day, honoring the country’s patron saint. But calls by the Roman Catholic Church for a truce in Mexico's ongoing cartel violence apparently went unheeded as more dead bodies were found in the country on Thursday.

Enormous crowds gathered early in the day, singing the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las mañanitas” at Mexico City’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to honor the virgin on the 493rd anniversary of her apparition in 1531.

Mariachi bands and traditional dance groups were also present at the basilica, which has a mix of modern and colonial-era architecture.

María Luisa Vázquez Mendoza, a 33-year-old homemaker, walked for 16 hours from the neighboring State of Mexico to visit the basilica on the capital's north side and give thanks “for another year of life, and that my family is alright.”

“You feel joy in your heart when you see the gates of the basilica so close,” said Vázquez Mendoza. “Your body relaxes completely. You don't feel pain or tiredness anymore.”

Earlier this week, the Mexican Council of Bishops wrote an editorial calling for “a halt to the armed violence and hostile statements.”

“In a country where violence has left painful wounds in families and polarization among the public, this is a proposal to reflect, and act in favor of reconciliation and human dignity,” the council wrote on a church website, Desde la Fe.

But in the north-central state of Guanajuato — which has the highest number of homicides of any of Mexico's 32 states — the day was possibly even more violent than usual.

Police and prosecutors said a total of 15 dead bodies were found on the streets in various cities in Guanajuato, warning the death toll may be higher. In one macabre location, a pile of human remains was discovered on a highway near the city of Salvatierra but authorities were still investigating how many victims it contained.

Local media said parts of hacked-up human bodies were left in black garbage bags in the back of a pickup truck with a banner signed by a drug cartel.

In Guanajuato in 2023 there were an average of 8.5 homicides a day, according to official figures.

Vázquez Mendoza said she hoped the call for truce might still influence people “to be a little more human, more conscious.”

Over 11 million worshippers had visited the Basilica in the days leading up to the annual celebration of Mexico's patroness, authorities said.

Many had walked from distant villages, others rode on bicycles or buses to reach the Basilica’s enormous patio, where a sea of tents held pilgrims who had slept overnight to greet the virgin in the morning.

The cold temperature, long walks and the wait to see the virgin’s cloak inside the Basilica did not discourage them. Many of the pilgrims walked the last mile or so carrying flowers or large paintings of the virgin.

According to church tradition, in 1531, the dark-skinned virgin appeared to the Indigenous peasant Juan Diego and her image was imprinted on his cloak, which is on display inside the church. Juan Diego was made a saint in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.

Traditionally, those who have asked for help from the Virgin of Guadalupe come in a sign of appreciation. Some, like street vendor Christofer Hernández, completed the last stretch to the Basilica barefoot or on their knees.

Arturo Rivas was one of 200 people who made the pilgrimage on bicycle from the nearby state of Tlaxacala, a ride of over 60 miles ( 100 kilometers).

“We are excited to come year after year,” Rivas said. “This is what our parents taught us.”

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

News from © The Associated Press, 2024