Abstract

ROSAS PAZ, Leonardo Daniel  and  PROPIN FREJOMIL, Enrique. Religious tourism at the Black Christ Basilica, Esquipulas, Guatemala. El periplo sustentable [online]. 2017, n.33, pp.394-427. ISSN 1870-9036.

At present, religious sanctuaries all over the world, attract a considerable amount of tourists, devotees or otherwise. Due to their spiritual magnetism, these places create ample devotional and tourist hinterlands. It is in this context that Guatemala stands prominently; in the south-east of the country, the Esquipulas Basilica homes the wood-carved Black Christ, a popular image which annually attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims that endorse the local economy. Considering this situation, the city of Esquipulas is recognized as the Faith Capital of Central America. This paper aims at examining the geographical attributes of religious tourism in the Black Christ sanctuary of Esquipulas. In the first part of the text, we present the theoretical platform used to study religious tourism; then, we describe the geographical features of Esquipulas at both regional and local scales. Finally, we present our main research results; they authenticate the geographical importance of religious tourism in this Basilica.

Keywords : Religious tourism; sacred place; spiritual magnetism; Esquipulas.

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