"On the road with Ceferino": youth pilgrimage to a sacred hill in San Juan (western Argentina)

Abstract

This paper is a preliminary contribution to the academic discussion on the collective pilgrimage to the so-called Cerro de Ceferino, in western Argentina. The study is based on participant observations throughout a winter Sunday, during the pilgrimage and pedestrian ascent to a small hill located 28 kilometers from the city of San Juan, with a sanctuary dedicated to Ceferino Namuncurá, the young son of an Araucanian chief, educated by Catholic missionaries, who died in Rome at the end of the 19th century and was beatified by the Vatican in November 2007. A massive youth procession travels on foot almost 30 kilometers of the semi-desert geography of the valley floor, greeted devoutly by locals who live nearby. The pilgrimage culminates with the ascent of the small hill, crowned with a monumental statue of the saint. Devotional practices include collective prayers and chants; the lighting of candles and the depositing of student folders and paper notebooks as offerings. The analysis brings light to the links between sacred mobilities, health and the promotion of the wellbeing of the pilgrims and their families.