The Roman Guards post on the first street off the church grounds.  Tonight the procession will return back to the church at this same point.  The tall poles with yokes at the top are used to lift overhead wires clear of the floats.  I took the picture below to show the rails that come out through the church doors.  The main float is so massive that it couldn’t possibly be carried low enough to clear the doorway.  So it slides out and then is taken up by the bearers.

Moments before the main float emerges from the church.  You can’t imagine how massive this thing is until you are right next to it.  At any given time it is being born by fifty guys.

 

There is a marching band that follows in the wake of each float.  The musicians are the real endurance athletes of this day.  They spend the whole day processing and playing in tuxedos.

The float of Our Lady emerges from the church.

It is born by women but not for the entire day.  There are also teams of men bearers for this float.  Below, the condition of the first carpet after the procession passes over it.

The Procession passed right in front of my house and I was lucky enough to have a birds eye view from the second story windows as it passed.  The pace of the procession is very slow.  It had already been working through the streets of Santa Ana for nearly two hours by this point.  These men are positioning and preparing to switch out and take their turn as bearers.

Which took place right below me.

 

 

The Procession works it’s way down the main street of Santa Ana after passing my house.  At the bottom of the hill it will turn right and begin it’s journey into and through Antigua.

 

After what in most cases was an entire night’s work, as soon as the procession passes, the “ruined” carpets are cleaned up by crews of workers.

 

Next, the midnight return of The Procession.