Pilgrimage and devotion to San Francisco. Social perceptions of cultural heritage and religious tourism in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora

Abstract

Magdalena de Kino is an important destination for religious tourism in Northwest Mexico. On the western border between Mexico and the United States, the figure of San Francisco is the subject of devotion by thousands of pilgrims who attend a major popular festival in his honor in the state of Sonora, Mexico. San Francisco has traditionally been a symbol of popular religiosity in the region. Veneration of the saint goes back to the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century and indigenous cultural syncretism, and today has become a tourist attraction exploited by public policy and the Catholic institution. The aim of this paper is to show the perceptions of the population of Magdalena de Kino concerning their cultural heritage and how tourism is building up an offer linked to the consumption of religious symbols.