El Pitillal’s San Miguel Arcángel Celebration Runs Through September 29
A hand-painted view of San Miguel Arcángel church and its plaza in El Pitillal. Illustration generated by AI. Not a photograph of the event described.
El Pitillal’s nine-day observance of San Miguel Arcángel continues through September 29 in Puerto Vallarta’s most populous district. The gathering brings together families, neighbors, businesses, religious groups, and other organizations. The church and the plaza around it form the celebration’s central meeting point, where residents come together during the day for services, processions, and cultural activities.
Daily pilgrimages are arranged by local families, businesses, senior citizen groups, and other community organizations. Each procession ends with Mass. The daily schedule starts at 6:00 am with prayers and Mass at dawn. Before sunrise, Las Mañanitas to San Miguel opens the day, followed by the dawn Mass and a community breakfast. Breakfast includes hot chocolate, bread, tamales, and tacos.
The parish atrium features a carpet created with colored sawdust and flower petals. The religious program also has a special Mass for the Anointing of the Sick, alongside additional cultural and community activities. Parish priest Father Francisco Javier Santiago Dueñas announced the complete schedule of religious and community events.
Around the church, the plaza has become a traditional fair. Food stalls operate alongside vendors offering mementos and accessories, while family-friendly carnival rides form part of the fair. On evenings with processions, a community Mass is scheduled for 8:00 pm, and live music follows in the main plaza from 7:00 pm.
Monday, September 28, is scheduled to bring Norteño music and dancing to the plaza late into the night. The celebration’s high point comes Tuesday, September 29, the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel. Traditional charro activities and pilgrimages continue during that morning. The evening program includes the arrival of the GASMA Torch from San Miguel el Alto, Jalisco.
The Solemn Eucharist of the People forms part of the parish’s 34th-anniversary commemoration, marking the anniversary of the consecration of the parish dedicated to San Miguel Arcángel. At 10:30 pm, the festivities are scheduled to end with traditional fireworks and the burning of the castillo in the town square. Music and dancing follow those displays.
Visitors can build a visit around the 6:00 am prayers and Mass, the breakfast that follows, the evening processions and plaza music, or the September 29 finale.
