Alborada Band Concert
Los Hermanos de Aguascalientes
Fri, Oct 2, 3pm
Art Walk 
Fri, Oct 2, 5–7pm

Fábrica La Aurora

Dance in and out of the Aurora
By Edward Swift

La Alborada was introduced to San Miguel in 1924 by a group of textile workers who had come to La Aurora from Fábrica La Virgen in Ciudad Hidalgo, Michoacán, and Fábrica la Reforma in Salvatierra, Guanajuato. The workers organized this first Alborada in conjunction with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1924.

That year, the festivities originated in front of Las Monjas church. The first Alborada was a combination of traditions these two groups brought with them. They included music by the best local bands, processions carrying the honored saint, a colorful array of stars on poles, a 4am fireworks display and the first appearance in San Miguel of the dancing mojigangas, the giant puppets of papier-mâché that continue to amuse us at almost every event. 

The first Alborada was such a success that the municipal officials and the priest from the Parroquia decided to incorporate it into the celebration of the town’s patron saint. That decree marked the first official Alborada, the feast day of San Miguel Arcángel, which was held on September 29, 1925.

Over the years, the timetable and order of events have changed some, but the festivities still culminate with the Saturday 4am fireworks extravaganza that continues to attract hundreds of spectators, the most sensible of whom carry umbrellas as protection from the falling sparks. 

On Friday, October 2, in keeping with the tradition started in 1925, La Banda de los Hermanos de Aguascalientes will arrive and play the first concert at 3pm in the main entrance of Fábrica La Aurora. I urge you to attend this celebration, which is one of the happiest occasions on the San Miguel calendar. During last year’s concert, everyone drank tequila, danced and made merry while the band, one of the best in Mexico, played on. After this year’s concert, many Aurora artists open their studios and galleries for the Art Walk.

The band then proceeds to Colonia Aurora, where the statue of San Miguel will be removed from its temporary altar and returned to the Parroquia. For the return procession, a young boy dressed as San Miguel Arcángel will ride on a car elaborately decorated with flowers and tulle. He will be accompanied by several children dressed as little angels and, of course, the Hermanos de Aguascalientes will provide the music for this procession. In the Jardín, the music continues into the night and around 2am, the dancing mojigangas and the giant stars on poles arrive once again.

When the Parroquia clock strikes 4am, the fireworks display will usher in the dawn—all in honor of San Miguel Arcángel and with a special thanks to those early textile workers from the factories of La Virgen, La Reforma and La Aurora.