Las Posadas originated in colonial Mexico as a Catholic celebration created by Spanish missionaries in the late 1500s, particularly around the Augustinian convent of Acolman near present-day Mexico City. The tradition was designed to teach the story of Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging while also reshaping existing Indigenous winter festivities into a Christian framework.

Quick Scoop: Origins

  • Place of origin: Mexico, especially central New Spain around Acolman, near Mexico City.
  • Time period: Late 16th century, when friar Diego de Soria received papal authorization (1586) to hold special pre-Christmas masses that evolved into Las Posadas.
  • Religious purpose: To reenact Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for an inn (“posada”) before Jesus’ birth.

Cultural Roots

  • The word posadas comes from Spanish posada , meaning “inn” or “lodging”, pointing directly to the Nativity story.
  • The tradition blends Catholic practices with older Indigenous celebrations around the winter solstice, including Aztec festivities like Panquetzaliztli that honored the god Huitzilopochtli.

How It Spread

  • From its start in churches and convents, Las Posadas moved into haciendas and then family homes, becoming a neighborhood-centered celebration by the 19th century.
  • Today, it remains strongest in Mexico and Central America but is also observed in Latino communities in the United States and beyond.

TL;DR: Las Posadas began in 16th‑century colonial Mexico as a Catholic adaptation of Indigenous winter festivals, centered on reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging before Jesus’ birth.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.