The city of Maracaibo formally opened the festivities honoring Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, known as La Chinita, with the traditional Bajada de la Virgen, the ceremony in which the sacred image is brought down from the high altar of the basilica. The event took place on 31 October 2026 and drew large crowds of worshippers from across the Zulia region.
The religious act was accompanied by a substantial logistical operation. Press personnel entered through the main wing of the temple, while family members, members of apostolic groups and invited guests came in through the right wing, wearing identification wristbands. More than 30,000 chairs were set up in the surrounding plaza to accommodate the faithful attending the liturgical event. Pedestrian traffic was heavy from nearby points such as the Ciudad Chinita shopping centre, while those who arrived by private vehicle had to park outside the immediate perimeter because vehicle access was restricted.
Security and risk-management forces were deployed around the basilica, including the Police, the National Guard and the Fire Department. Because the afternoon celebration took place under high temperatures and direct sunlight, coverage teams and local authorities urged worshippers to bring their own water, along with hats, caps or umbrellas, to avoid heat exhaustion during the services.
During the liturgy of the word, the homily drew on the Book of the Prophet Zechariah to place the moment within the spiritual life of the congregation and of the Zulian community. The preacher linked the readings to processes of reconstruction, faith and hope among the people.
Archbishop José Luis Azuaje Ayala presided over the Eucharist and delivered his message seated, due to health concerns related to a rise in respiratory infections in the region. He sent a greeting to the sick, to health centres and to vulnerable people in the communities, and he offered prayers for the health of the Pope.
The archbishop centred his homily on times of trial, reconstruction and longing among the people. Drawing on the prophecy of Zechariah, he described a vision in which walls and dividing barriers disappear and are replaced by bridges of social encounter. He urged the faithful to overcome rivalries and sterile disputes and to promote a culture of encounter that transcends political, ideological or cultural differences, grounded in human dignity and in the social friendship promoted by Pope Francis, as well as in the teaching of Pope Leo XIV on social justice.
He also reflected on suffering transformed into community mission and on the figure of Mary as a mother who welcomes without exclusion and accompanies the tears and bodily and social hardships of the people of Zulia. Recalling the account of the Visitation and the Virgin's service to Elizabeth, he called for civic and spiritual co-responsibility and asked the community to give its best to integral human development and the rebuilding of the nation.
Live coverage showed the sacred image descending from its altar and being received in front of the main stage with the singing of gaiteros and the applause of thousands of worshippers inside the basilica and in the plaza.