News
Fears of Mafia steer mandas away from Magdalena
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| Scott A. Taras | Special to the Green Valley News Amidst rumors of violence, those who usually make a manda, a religious pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, are having to find other ways to show devotion. Some gathered at Nellie Estrella’s home in South Tucson for a vigil and midnight mass on Friday night. |
Tess Martinez, Green Valley News
Typical Friday night sounds of car horns, Norteno music, and the chiming of an ice cream truck filled the air in South Tucson Friday night.
But walking by Nellie Estrella’s home on 32nd Street, a less-typical sound came from her courtyard.
More than a dozen voices joined in prayer, chanting the rosary in Spanish, were audible through her wrought-iron gate.
Saturday was the day of a yearly festival in honor of Saint Francis Xavier in Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, where crowds of the devout make mandas (offerings) and pilgrimages to Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino’s church.
Oct. 4 is technically the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, but in Magdalena, St. Francis Xavier, who Padre Kino was named after, has taken over the day.
But this year, amid fears of kidnappings and decapitations by notorious drug cartels and a bomb threat against the historic church during the festival weekend, many took heed of official advisories against travel in Mexico.
“You can’t go down there anymore,” said Manny Madrid, who grew up in Bisbee and would make the yearly trip to Magdalena in the back of his family’s pick-up as a boy. “It’s not the same. There is so much mafia going on, it’s unbelievable.”
In recent years, Madrid has resumed the tradition, but he stayed on this side of the border this time around.
Many who, like Madrid, usually make a manda every year to Magdalena are finding other ways to show their devotion to Saint Francis.
Some were at Estrella’s home for a vigil and midnight Mass in a chapel she built in memory of her grandfather, who had a powerful devotion for the saint, last year.
When she received frantic phone calls from friends who were too scared to go to Magdalena, Estrella suggested they instead come keep vigil with her in the chapel.
“I told them my little chapel is not that big, but you’re welcome to come,” Estrella said. She placed folding rows of chairs on her patio for her guests because everyone couldn’t fit in the tiny chapel.
Most of the fears of violence that have kept people from going to Magdalena have been dispelled as rumors, Estrella’s sister Isabel Pacheco said. She’s heard news from Mexico that the threat to bomb the church was found to be a hoax.
“They say there’s no reason to be concerned.” Pacheco, whose husband is in law enforcement, said. “It was all just a joke.”
Pacheco fears that though many are still making the pilgrimage, those who stay behind—not only out of fear for their lives but also because of gas prices, the economy, and other reasons—will leave a gaping financial hole that is usually filled by stimulation the feast day brings to Magdalena.
“There’s going to be a lot of people down there who depend on the revenue this brings and they’re going to lose it, she said.
But people aren’t only forgoing travel to Mexico during special celebration days such as the feast of St. Francis. Many have curtailed what were once frequent shopping and visiting trips south of the border just to stay on the safe side.
“I don’t want to get caught one day in the middle of a shooting,” Pacheco said.
She now keeps most of her trips to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico down to a few quick errands and a meal.
Madrid, who said he usually makes about 10 trips to Mexico annually, has only gone a few times so far this year.
“Every time I cross the border, I’m in heaven,” he said. “But now, it’s too scary to go down there.”
Typical Friday night sounds of car horns, Norteno music, and the chiming of an ice cream truck filled the air in South Tucson Friday night.
But walking by Nellie Estrella’s home on 32nd Street, a less-typical sound came from her courtyard.
More than a dozen voices joined in prayer, chanting the rosary in Spanish, were audible through her wrought-iron gate.
Saturday was the day of a yearly festival in honor of Saint Francis Xavier in Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, where crowds of the devout make mandas (offerings) and pilgrimages to Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino’s church.
Oct. 4 is technically the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, but in Magdalena, St. Francis Xavier, who Padre Kino was named after, has taken over the day.
But this year, amid fears of kidnappings and decapitations by notorious drug cartels and a bomb threat against the historic church during the festival weekend, many took heed of official advisories against travel in Mexico.
“You can’t go down there anymore,” said Manny Madrid, who grew up in Bisbee and would make the yearly trip to Magdalena in the back of his family’s pick-up as a boy. “It’s not the same. There is so much mafia going on, it’s unbelievable.”
In recent years, Madrid has resumed the tradition, but he stayed on this side of the border this time around.
Many who, like Madrid, usually make a manda every year to Magdalena are finding other ways to show their devotion to Saint Francis.
Some were at Estrella’s home for a vigil and midnight Mass in a chapel she built in memory of her grandfather, who had a powerful devotion for the saint, last year.
When she received frantic phone calls from friends who were too scared to go to Magdalena, Estrella suggested they instead come keep vigil with her in the chapel.
“I told them my little chapel is not that big, but you’re welcome to come,” Estrella said. She placed folding rows of chairs on her patio for her guests because everyone couldn’t fit in the tiny chapel.
Most of the fears of violence that have kept people from going to Magdalena have been dispelled as rumors, Estrella’s sister Isabel Pacheco said. She’s heard news from Mexico that the threat to bomb the church was found to be a hoax.
“They say there’s no reason to be concerned.” Pacheco, whose husband is in law enforcement, said. “It was all just a joke.”
Pacheco fears that though many are still making the pilgrimage, those who stay behind—not only out of fear for their lives but also because of gas prices, the economy, and other reasons—will leave a gaping financial hole that is usually filled by stimulation the feast day brings to Magdalena.
“There’s going to be a lot of people down there who depend on the revenue this brings and they’re going to lose it, she said.
But people aren’t only forgoing travel to Mexico during special celebration days such as the feast of St. Francis. Many have curtailed what were once frequent shopping and visiting trips south of the border just to stay on the safe side.
“I don’t want to get caught one day in the middle of a shooting,” Pacheco said.
She now keeps most of her trips to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico down to a few quick errands and a meal.
Madrid, who said he usually makes about 10 trips to Mexico annually, has only gone a few times so far this year.
“Every time I cross the border, I’m in heaven,” he said. “But now, it’s too scary to go down there.”
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