By Adriana Mendez Acosta
“When I was a child, they gave me one peso for carrying a star from La Aurora to the Parroquia. The silver coin, which was worth twenty-five cents, had an eagle on one side and a scale on the other.” El Gordo Ledesma
A picturesque alley, very close to the La Aurora factory, leads to the home of Don Emigdio, El Gordo, Ledesma. The patio of his house is arranged with a rectangular table and various materials. On this table, workers make stars, costumes, and whatever is needed to decorate and beautify parades, pilgrimages, and other traditional festivals. Some religious masks and images hang on the walls. Several shelves hold books, magazines, and papers.
His rectangular glasses do not prevent us from perceiving the brightness and depth of Don Emigdio’s gaze that spreads pride and enthusiasm. The wrinkles on his face and his salt-and-pepper hair legitimize his encompassing discourse on the details of his participation from the start in the San Miguel de Allende’s most important festival. He came to the town when he was a child. His father worked at the La Carolina Yarn and Fabric Factory in Mexico City and transferred to San Miguel to work at the La Aurora Factory. This is an emblematic site in the city, today houses art and design galleries. It also contains fascinating stories behind its walls. The festival of the Alborada is one of them.
After finishing sixth grade, Emigdio no longer wanted to continue studying. He liked the idea of being a mechanic, and his father took him to a workshop to investigate the possibility. At that time, there were very few cars. When they arrived at the scene, they found two mechanics inside a vehicle with their feet on the dashboard, reading a comic by La Familia Burrón. After they left, his father asked him: «Is that what you want to be?» Emigdio was left speechless.
At 15, after trying out carpentry as an apprentice, he decided to start working as a textile worker, in spite of his father’s admonitions not to do this because it would be “a let-down.» He met Camilo González and other men from Salvatierra and Villa Hidalgo de Hércules, Querétaro. In the factory where they had previously worked, they venerated the Blessed Virgin of the Conception with giant stars. They decided to celebrate her day on December 8, 1924, importing the stars to San Miguel. They walked through the streets carrying huge stars until they reached the church, the first time they did this in San Miguel. and when the residents saw them, they decided to adopt the tradition. Father Refugio Soliz of the San Miguel Arcángel parish and the municipal authorities were entranced by the celebration. The following year, they invited González and his group to participate in the festivity of the town’s patron saint. This is how in 1925, the town first celebrated the Alborada in the emblematic pink church.
Emigdio’s interest in festivals began in 1948 when he was 10 years old. He liked to watch the parades and was struck by the color and beauty of the decorations. At age 12, for “financial interest,” he first had the job of star charger. Emigdio is a lover of living traditions. From eight years old, he has participated in the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Atotonilco and is actively involved in the festival of the Locos, the feast of the Church of San Antonio, and has never stopped celebrating the Alborada, not even during the pandemic. He decorated the stars, asked Jesús Nazareno to take care of him, and went to the parish with a small group of friends.
Because of his perseverance and enthusiasm, he has earned the title “the Keeper of the Alborada Tradition.” Every August, he starts the call for people who want to learn how to decorate stars. His workshop is open to apprentices and collaborators. They work during August and September to be ready for the festival on September 29, or the Saturday after if it falls on a weekday.
Emigdio and his wife began living as a couple when he was 21 and she was 16. They had 10 children—nine girls and one boy. He says that he worked hard to provide for the family. He proudly talks about his daughter, who is a language teacher, two others who are accountants, and one who is a decorator. They all like traditions and always get involved. He has 22 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He comments, with a mischievous smile, that they turned out «more measured» than he. One of his daughters has four descendants, the rest only two or three. He is happy to have a united family that respects him and shares a love of parties. Every year they prepare what is necessary for the celebration together—from the decorations to the wind band.
Three years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Emigdio. He kindly welcomed me into his home and gave me two hours of his time. I left there moved by his warmth, his wealth of knowledge, and his love for traditions. His contagious enthusiasm motivates others to continue these traditions that he has dedicated himself to, passing his wisdom from generation to generation. I am left with the image of the stars twinkling at dawn when the sun has not yet risen. That dim light illuminates the sky enough to give us the spectacle of the Alborada.
