Our Lady of Candelaria del Cerrito, venerated in the shrine of the Cerrito of the Candelaria of Totonicapan

Marian vocation of Totonicapán (Totonicapán)

La devoción a Our Lady of the Candelaria del Cerrito in Totonicapan is inserted in the wide Catholic cult to the Presentation of the Lord and the Purification of Mary, whose liturgical feast is celebrated 2 February. The advocation of the Candelaria is widespread in the Hispanic world, but for this particular case the locable sources in the search do not offer a documented chronology sufficiently solid about the origin of the image or the sanctuary; therefore, no consta a secure historical reconstruction with available materials.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of the Candelaria del Cerrito in Totonicapan is inserted in the wide Catholic cult to the Presentation of the Lord and the Purification of Mary, whose liturgical feast is celebrated 2 February. The advocation of the Candelaria is widespread in the Hispanic world, but for this particular case the locable sources in the search do not offer a documented chronology sufficiently solid about the origin of the image or the sanctuary; therefore, no consta a secure historical reconstruction with available materials.

The information found in the search confirms that there is a Cerrit de la Candelaria with a strong pilgrimage and popular veneration, but does not bring with certainty foundational dates, authors of the image or a verifiable historical account of the establishment of the cult. Any more precise details should therefore be considered. no constatado to review local primary sources or ecclesiastical archives.

The image and the sanctuary

A safe and detailed description of the image venerated in the Cerrito de la Candelaria de Totonicapán: its type, material, antiquity and specific iconographic features cannot be strictly affirmed without contrasting local documentation. Also no consta with safety the full official name of the temple, nor if it has a range of National, diocesan or minor basilica sanctuary.

The place is known as the Sanctuary of the Cerrito de la Candelaria and that it is a center of Marian devotion of remarkable popular roots in Totonicapán. However, the information provided in the search does not allow to distinguish with documentary precision its canonical or architectural status, so these ends should be left in “not reported” until a direct verification with the sanctuary or the diocese.

Sponsorship and coronation

There is no formal attribution of patronazgo over city, municipality, diocese or nation with the sources located in this search. It also does not contain a documented canonical coronation for this advocation in Totonicapan, so it is not wise to award an act of coronation without explicit backing.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of the Candelaria is celebrated the 2 Februaryin continuity with the liturgical calendar of the Lord's Presentation. For Totonicapán, the localized sources only allow to affirm the existence of a great indigenous pilgrimage and a very vivid popular devotion, but they do not provide reliable figures of influx or a documented description of the ritual practices of the sanctuary.

The more specific local devotional features - processions, shifts, community prayers, dances, offerings or other traditional elements - should therefore be recorded as no consta to have sources of the sanctuary itself, of the diocese or of the local Catholic press verifiable.

Link to the Rosary

A particular historical association of this advocation with a the Rosary or with a rosarian rite of the Cerrito de la Candelaria. It can be said, in the general Marian sense, that the Rosary He naturally accompanies the devotions to the Virgin under the title of the Candelaria, because with Mary he contemplates the mysteries of Christ, including the Presentation in the Temple, which is at the heart of this feast.

In a devotional sheet, therefore, it can be cautiously stated that the Rosary is a usual form of Marian prayer around this advocation, but that the concrete relationship with Totonicapan is not documented in the sources examined.