Juquila
human settlement in Mexico
Juquila is a village of about 5,500 residents in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. Officially named Santa Catarina Juquila (an overly long name used by nobody), it is a town of limited broad appeal, but huge appeal to faithful pilgrims who come to the town to venerate a small statue of the Virgin Mary that survived a catastrophic fire that burned everything in town sparing only the doll-sized figure, known as the Virgen de Juquila. The town is a pleasant Oaxacan small town with colonial architecture, indigenous craftsmen, and delicious regional cuisine, but it is really the small religious icon that makes travelers (almost 2 million of them per year) flock to the town. The town is otherwise unremarkable and one of the least interesting of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos. If you're passing through the area, it may be worth a stop, otherwise, prepare to be underwhelmed.
