Day 3-041
6 hrs, 3 .2 kms

I don't really have any expectations as I reach Higuey, the easternmost city of Dominican Republic. As the bus approaches the city, there's a beautiful rainbow arching across the horizon. And underneath it... another massive arch! this one made of concrete. People around me are gazing up at it as if it were a divine sign. I definitely need to go see what that's about.

I enter a gateway which leads to a forest of royal palms standing at attention. On each side of the path is a long line of people. To the right, hundreds and hundreds of people are waiting in line to enter this cathedral. Despite the rain just a few minutes ago, very few of them seem to be equipped with umbrellas.

To the left is another long line... this one of people sitting on the curb waiting for alms.

Looks like I've come just in time for a religious pilgrimage. Awesome ... as long as I don't get stuck here with no lodging or transportation!

Ahead of me is the Basilica of La Altagracia. Definitely not your typical gothic or colonial style cathedral... this one was finished in 1970 and is made of multiple arched concrete ceilings, topped with a massive, steep arch that reminds me of "The Arch" in St Louis, USA. More vertical than horizontal, it doesn't look like very many people can fit inside. That doesn't seem to matter though, as it appears that the long line of pilgrims are not headed to mass, but instead are lining up to just get a glimpse of the miracle performing Virgin of Altagracia.

On the side there are a couple of ambulances, some tents set up and crowds of folks cooking or just relaxing. Nearby are a couple of portapotties, but after a quick survey of the terrain, you see they are not the only places people go to to take care of their bodily functions. It feels a bit more like a refugee camp than a place of solemn assembly .

As I find out later, this isn't even "the big day" The crowd is going to get much, much bigger tomorrow. People come from all over the country (some of them on foot) for this annual pilgrimage day.

It appears that I'm the only non-devotee here, but no one seems to mind. I even manage to take my guitar video clip with the arched basilica behind me--although I decide to skip trying to do my full length parkbench concert here.

After soaking in the atmosphere a bit more, I gingerly make my way through the palm forest to another building: a museum dedicated to La Altagracia. No long line to get in here, in fact, it looks like I'm the only person visiting it. I pay the 2 $ entrance fee and head inside to see what this whole thing is about.

The Legend of La Altagracia

I'm ushered into the museum where I first sit to watch a short documentary about the history of Altagracia . It only takes a few minutes for me to realize I've seen this all before: a devout child finds a doll or a picture of Mother Mary... the picture disappears and appears somewhere else. She claims it's a miracle. A priest comes along a confirms it's a miracle... Somebody who was sick gets better... yep, it was all thanks to that picture... Millions and millions of people for hundreds of years com to worship this image without ever doubting or questioning the story...

It's pretty much exactly the same story told in Cartago, Costa Rica, the pilgrimage mecca of that country... similar story in Mexico--and every other Latin American country.

As an outsider looking in, your first reaction is... uh... didn't anyone ever consider there might be another explanation to this? Like... maybe this kid just forgot where she put her picture... or maybe it was a scheme cooked up by the priest to try to get famous... Maybe it's part of a bigger conspiracy by the Catholic church to make people believe that Catholicism and nationalism go hand in hand ... that this is not a religion imposed from accross the ocean--rather Catholicism is very Dominican... or Mexican... or Costa Rican.....

...Maybe when a person was sick and gets well... it could be that they had a good immune system than managed to fight of infection or disease just like the body is supposed to... (Nowhere do I find a list of all the people who prayed to La Altagracia and didn't get better... but I suspect that list would be very, very long.)

No? No other possibilities considered?

A gentlemen follows me around as I continue the tour, as I mask my feelings and try to observe respectfully. Nearby are piles of gold necklaces and other jewelry given by the faithful in gratitude to La Altagracia. Like in Costa Rica, people give ornaments shaped like the thing that they're requesting. If they've got a bum kidney that needs healing, they give an ornament shaped like a kidney and so forth .

A couple of unique customs here are that they might give a creepy looking clay doll. Also, there are pictures of people wearing rice bags as a sign of humility (although I didn't see anyone in the line actually doing this).

Another thing to note: unlike in Mexico and other places where the person who received the apparition was an indian (an attempt, I believe, to give the local indian population a "folk hero" they could relate with) here the girl who received the apparition was of Spanish descent (most Indians had been wiped out in Hispanola at that time anyways...)

I head back outside, and gaze back at the crowd of people. Part of me wants to shout "wake up, people! Free your minds!" but another part of me realizes that, hey, people need something to cling to in a cold, cruel world where random, terrible things can happen without warning at any time. Its normal that people want something or someone they can turn to for solace--whether it be an invisible friend, spirit, saint, or virgin mother ...

Just don't spend too much of your time and wealth on this... Do your pilgrimage... then go back to the "real" world where hard work, knowledge and smart choices are your best friends to help you make it through life...

The Cop and the Gangsta...

Next I head into the heart of the town, through a bustling street market full of Haitian vendors. Hopefully this pilgrimage will bring so much needed cash into this town. I reach the town "parque" where I can finally do my parkbench concert--only to be interrupted by the rain. I join a crowd of folks crammed into the gazebo where a jolly young cop is poking fun at a kind of crazy guy who is laughing to himself.

"See... that what drugs'll do to you!" the cop exclaims, half joking.

Once the rain stops, I do a short loop around town, and then come back to the parque, where the same cop joins me, this time accompanied by a tough looking teenager with self inflicted cuts all down his pants . If it weren't for the cop, I would assume this guy was a "tigre" or thug.

The cop asks to borrow my guitar, which he pretends to play while the tigre sings some original romantic songs and rap... A fascinating little encounter between a good hearted cop, a tough young fellow... and me.

"So do people that come on the pilgrimage do it because they really believe, or is it just a tradition?" I ask, glancing back at the chapel, the original Altagracia church behind us.

"It's just a tradition" the cop responds.