Guest Post: Cabalgata Cubilete 2008

Our landlady, Anna Troutner, is from the US and is a horse lady. She has a partnership with a family here who have a ranch. She has her horse out there with theirs and gives riding lessons and is very close with everyone in the family.

She had been telling me about this amazing event coming up - and afterwards sent me pictures and the story she wrote about it. It is all so amazing, I wish I could have gone. Maybe some day.

Here’s a picture she just sent of me on Dulcenea, on Xmas day. This way it looks like I was there - but I wasn’t.

These are Anna’s pictures and Anna’s story.

CABALGATA CUBILETE 2008
We have returned from our big ride. WOW! January 5th, we drove to Rodeo, about 15 miles from Guanajuato (Mexico), and saddled ElPinto and Atajo, our horses, before dawn. Then as the sun rose, we heard thousands of horse hooves clopping on the pavement. We could see the highway at a great distance, with the police escort coming from Sauceda,, followed by all those riders. We mounted and our horses were excited. We joined in at the end of the group. I rode quietly and was quite content thinking about what we were about to achieve.

We rode to a designated meeting point off the highway in the campo, where more horses were waiting to join the cabalgata. Women had trays of hot coffee in styrofoam cups and two steaming tamales in plastic bags handed up for our breakfast. All these riders stayed on their horses and ate, drank and listened to the bullhorn. Someone explained how we would ride through the communities, until we met with a police escort on the highway, again. And how we really needed to stay together in twos, and be considerate of each other and the other horses to stay safe. Then all these riders threw down their plastic bags and cups and walked their horses on out, pairing up with their friends and family groups. We rode with Bernardo and a dozen others.

I saw all men, mostly campo types, whose horses were for working, not leisure. The purpose of the tack was understood, although the martingale could be made of a fairly strong plastic string, tied to the halter that could be made of hand woven agave fiber, tied to the breast collar or cinch that could be made from a woven plastic bag.
We rode and rode and rode. We followed in the rear of thousands of horses, mostly lined up in pairs. Annie, my friend visiting for the holidays, and I threw wrapped candies from our saddlebags, to the myriads of children waiting with their mothers along the trails and rural roads. We signified the three King’s traveling to the savior, Christ the King (Cristo Rey), bringing gifts for tomorrow’s Epiphany. Mass was held in a couple of specific chapels along the way, which rested the horses. The final mass was at Cristo Rey, on the mountaintop. It is also called Cubilete, and is considered the geographic center of Mexico and a popular pilgrimage destination.

We came to the first watering trough at the base of the mountain, with all the horses pushing and crowding, to suck up the water. There was a line of thousands of horses leaving and arriving. We began the accent, on the treacherous cobble stone road. These horses have come a long way. Some were from Salamanca, Joventino Rosas, Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende.

They camped last night in Sauceda, and began riding this morning, to camp on the mountaintop for the Epiphany. A few riders were from the United States, and Annie was from Croatia.
We continued up the long cobble stone road of seemingly endless switchbacks to the top. As the horses neared, the chapel bells gonged, announcing our arrival. It was now late in the afternoon. We turned away from those riding to mass, and set up our camp, while listening to mass projected from the distance. We got the horses unsaddled, situated and fed alfalfa. Then we made a fire and heated the pozole, tamales and ponche that the women, Lidia and Chuya, brought in the truck, along with the camping gear. We set up our bedding on level ground, near our horses tied to the few opportune places. We ate by the fire and sat under the stars and looked at the 75 foot Jesus statue, right in front of us, lit against the night sky. The King’s had arrived.

Ann Troutner

National Geographic article about last year’s ride: