A woman prays during a service at the Catholic basilica in El Cisne, Ecuador. The Virgen de El Cisne is believed to have granted miracles to the faithful.
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Every year since Simon Bolivar first decreed it in 1824, pilgrims bring a wooden idol of the Virgen de El Cisne — their representation of Mary, the mother of Jesus — down from the small, mountain village of El Cisne to the provincial capital Loja.
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Thousands of Catholic pilgrims walk the highway toward Catamayo, Ecuador, following the Virgen de El Cisne idol. The idol, which was carved by Diego de Robles in 1594, is considered a national treasure inspiring devotees throughout Ecuador and the surrounding countries.
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Cars with loud speakers drive near the procession that follows the Virgen de El Cisne idol. Priests and nuns recite Hail Mary's, the Lord's Prayer and sing religious songs. For some pilgrims, it is important to stay near the sacred idol during the journey.
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Vidal Cruz bathes in a small river near the highway during the second day of the pilgrimage. "When I am walking on the pilgrimage, I can go all day and it doesn't bother me," Cruz said. Vidal and his wife Bertha live in Lajas, Colombia, and despite their small income from running a shop, traveled to El Cisne for the pilgrimage.
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Vidal Cruz and his wife Bertha Pinchao walk back to the highway after Vidal bathed in a river during the second day of the pilgrimage. Despite his disability, Vidal walked the entire 72 kilometer, three-day pilgrimage, which he has been doing for 18 years. Vidal also received a significant amount of money from donations by pilgrims passing him on the route.
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People come from all over Ecuador to try to sell wares along the pilgrimage route. Some set up makeshift camps along the road or walk the entire route, selling food, drinks and trinkets and becoming de facto pilgrims themselves.
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Guarded by the Ecuadorian military and national police, the Virgin of El Cisne and her procession leave their home town of El Cisne, Ecuador, bound for Loja on the first day of the annual religious pilgrimage.
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Ana Belly Pinchao, left, and her mother, Bertha Pinchao, rest in the shade while walking the second day of the pilgrimage from San Pedro to Catamayo, Ecuador. For Ana the pilgrimage was a chance to get closer to her mother since she was raised by her aunt.
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The weekend before the pilgrimage, El Cisne surges with people. The town of less than 1,700 does not have enough indoor space to accommodate all of the travelers, who buy straw mats for about $3 and find whatever flat space they can in parks and on sidewalks.
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An Ecuadorian National Police officer punches a man in the face in an attempt to put him in to the mobile jail that follows the procession. The man was accused of stealing from pilgrims. The Ecuadorian National Police reported more than 60 arrests for theft during the 2009 pilgrimage.
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Father Armando Jimenez is the rector of the El Cisne convent, making him the de facto highest official in the town of El Cisne. Although the church does not have official governmental powers, it often supports public works projects, such as paving the one road that leads to El Cisne.
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A woman walks back to her bus in the parking lot in El Cisne, Ecuador. Throngs of tourists, pilgrims and revelers fill the city in August and business people of all sorts follow them there.
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A man tries to get some rest and stay warm by wearing a "sauna suit" in a public park in San Pedro de la Bendita after the first day of the pilgrimage. The town of San Pedro normally has only a few hundred residents but surges with thousands of pilgrims.
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Stalls outside of the basilica in El Cisne sell religious trinkets with pictures of the Virgen for people to buy as memories of their visit. Some have holy significance and others — such as the 9mm handgun keychain — are of specious sacred value.
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A donkey watches a procession of pilgrims following the image of the Virgen de El Cisne.
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A couple from Loja, Ecuador, write their baby's name in wax on the protective case that holds the Virgen de El Cisne. Many make the pilgrimage journey to ask the Virgin for miracles.
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Well-wishers cheer and throw confetti to greet the arrival of the Virgen de El Cisne and her procession as they make their entrance to the center of the city Loja on the final day of the annual pilgrimage.
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