Our Lady of Solitude, Patron Saint of Puerto Escondido
The day of the Virgen de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), the patron saint of Puerto Escondido and of the city of Oaxaca is celebrated on December 18. The festivities, however, start two days earlier with the calenda, a procession through the streets, ending in the church above the Adoquín, which includes a brass band, firecrackers, monos (giant figures with papier-mâché heads) and canasteras (women balancing enormous baskets on their heads).
On December 18, the image of the Virgin is paraded down to the Bahia Principal, from where she is put onto a launch, accompanied by many fishing boats, and taken out to sea as far as the lighthouse.
