Finally in Mexico: Día de los Inditos

We were right to think ourselves unlucky once again. Our travel to Mexico happened upon the fated FAA NOTAM system failure that grounded all US domestic flights, the first occurence of such failure in history. Instead of 9 hours door-to-door, it took us 21+ hours from RDU to Leon, Mexico - driving would have required only another 12 hours. We don't need to wait for foreign terrorists to mess us up. We are doing pretty well by ourselves.

Our flying to Leon on 1/11 was predicated on the Dia de Los Inditos festival that has taken place on 1/12 since 1876. The festival celebrates Saint Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant who was visited by the Virgin Mary i.e. Our Lady of Guadalupe, by dressing in traditional costumes in the spirit of Juan Diego. It makes for a very colorful festival. Exhausted as we were, we were relieved that we did NOT miss the festival.

Arrivals / Departures Board - 9:06 AM January 11, 2023 - RDU. Our 5:24 am flight did not leave until 10:00 am ;-( causing us to miss our connection in DFW to Leon. Then we waited 7 hours for the next flight to Leon to leave, finally arriving at our hotel at 1:00 am on the 12th. Thousands of people were affected that day, we were happy to safely make it to our destination with only the pain of exhaustion.


Día de los Inditos was lots of fun. We walked with the locals up to the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Inside, a priest was blessing the participants and offerings were made at the altar. And outdoor "studio" photos were taken.










15-second video.




15-second video.


















Bonus photo: Leaving BJX, the Leon-Guanujuato Airport, in a taxi at just before midnight local time.