Sonidero music community celebrates 25 years of pilgrimage to basilica

Organizers and members of the sonidero music community will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Peregrinación Sonidera Nacional to the Basílica de Guadalupe in Mexico City and Chimalhuacán.

The event takes place on November 17 and 18 to honor the cultural movement and the legacy of founder Ramón Vega. The pilgrimage brings together hundreds of sonideros from Mexico, the United States, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.

David Mendoza, representing Ramón Rojo of Sonido La Changa, described the tradition as a union of faith, popular culture, and community organization. The movement has spent decades working to overcome social stigma and invisibility. To prepare for the anniversary, organizers spent eight months traveling across different states and neighborhoods to gather families associated with the sonidero movement. The schedule begins with a Misa de Gallo at La Merced markets on November 17.

On November 18, a procession will move from La Merced toward the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. After a Mass of Thanksgiving at the basilica, the celebration continues at the Recinto Ferial de Chimalhuacán. Local government representatives from Chimalhuacán provided a symphonic band and a municipal orchestra to perform at the site, fulfilling a goal originally set by Ramón Vega.

The organizing committee, led by Óscar Vega and Armando Ordóñez Hernández, ensures the event remains free and safe for families. The anniversary aims to preserve the identity of the neighborhood culture in Mexico City and the rest of the country.