Catholic worshippers took to the streets of Antigua, Guatemala on Thursday (April 2) to mark Holy Week as part of the country's centuries-old Easter celebrations.

Dressed in purple cloaks, participants known as cucuruchos marched through the streets carrying processional floats during Holy Thursday.

Ricardo Valdez, who has taken part in the procession for over 20 years, said the tradition was a "matter of heritage" and that other men in his family also participate every year.

Antigua has been celebrating Easter this way since 1543, when Spanish missionaries brought the tradition to Guatemala. The city hosts what is believed to be the world's largest Easter procession, drawing visitors from across the globe each year.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA (APRIL 2, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF ERMITA DE SAN CRISTOBAL EL ALTO AND PARTICIPANTS DRESSED IN PURPLE DURING PROCESSION (In Spanish known as “Cucuruchos”)

2. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DRESSED IN PURPLE TAKING PART IN PROCESSION

3. FIGURE REPRESENTING CHRIST WITH CROSS

4. PARTICIPANTS DRESSED IN PURPLE TAKING PART IN PROCESSION

5. PEOPLE LOOKING ON

6. PROCESSION IN PROGRESS

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROCESSION PARTICIPANT (KNOWN AS CUCURUCHO), RICARDO VALDEZ, SAYING:

"I have been coming to carry the image of Jesus of the Humility of San Cristobal for more than 20 years. This is above all a matter of heritage and lived experience because my uncle Pedro Velazquez, may he rest in peace, was president of the brotherhood here at San Cristobal del Bajo for many years. Through his initiative, to honour and strengthen the procession, he spoke to all the men in the family to invite us to come and carry Jesus of San Cristobal. So in my family, my uncles and my cousins, we all come to carry the image of San Cristobal, the Lord of Humility."

8. VARIOUS OF PROCESSION IN PROGRESS

9. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DRESSED IN PURPLE DURING PROCESSION

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROCESSION PARTICIPANT (KNOWN AS CUCURUCHO), ALEJANDRO CASTILLO, SAYING:

"Antigua Guatemala… well, not just Antigua but all of Guatemala, we consider ourselves people of great faith, and I believe this colonial city represents what Catholicism is. We always represent our faith by carrying (the floats), and with all the beautiful carpets that (are made) every year, they wait for us, the Cucuruchos."

11. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF PROCESSION IN PROGRESS AND SAWDUST CARPETS

12. VARIOUS OF OF RESIDENTS MAKING SAWDUST CARPETS

15. SAWDUST CARPET ON THE GROUND

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED STATES TOURIST, NO NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

"I think it's amazing, I think it's wonderful and I wish we had traditions like this where we're from in the U.S., and I just love being here because I feel such a wonderful spirit of this tradition where they celebrate Holy Week and they have these wonderful processions, and even enactments… We just saw and enactment of the trial of Jesus with Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers and it was amazing and I loved it."

17. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DRESSED IN PURPLE IN THE STREETS

18. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF ANTIGUA