The oldest religious procession in East Los Angeles drew thousands of worshippers Dec. 4 as Catholics gathered in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Concluding at East Los Angeles College Stadium, the mile-long procession featured numerous dancers, floats and renditions recalling the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico, in December 1531. The procession was led by the venerated "Peregrina" image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an exact digital reproduction of the original in Mexico City.

Inside the stadium, Cardinal Roger Mahony presided at a special liturgy with mariachis, Aztec dancers and hymns. Worshippers came up to venerate the image of La Virgen, and received blessed roses, a symbol of Our Lady.