Muxima: Pilgrimage and History

Muxima brings together an annual religious event and a historic church. Looking beyond the town, you’ll find other cultural and landscape points of interest in Bengo Province.

September Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage to the Santuário da Nossa Senhora da Muxima takes place every year from September 4 to 7. Its motto is “Mama Muxima, em tuas mãos, colocamos o povo de Angola”. If you’d like to plan your trip around this religious event, its annual dates provide a specific point of reference on the calendar.

On Sunday, September 7, 2025, more than 100,000 worshippers took part in the pilgrimage in Muxima. This figure refers to that day and year. For planning purposes, the recurring dates and the attendance figure for that particular Sunday are two different details: the first gives the annual dates, while the second describes attendance in 2025.

The Church and Its Historical Context

Another local point of interest is the small Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição. It was built in Muxima in the early 17th century. The pilgrimage offers a recurring date in the annual calendar, while the church points to an early period of construction. Those interested in religious history can therefore find a specific festival period and a separate historical point of reference.

Cultural Points of Interest in Bengo Province

Looking at Bengo Province broadens the cultural picture to include other places. In Ambriz, the Antiga Câmara Municipal, Casa do Escravos, Igreja de São José and Zona histórica are among the historic monuments and sites inventoried in 2004. The year refers to the inventory, not to when these four sites were established. This distinguishes two different historical details: the church in Muxima dates from the early 17th century, while 2004 is the inventory year for the sites in Ambriz.

Cultural affiliations also shape the regional perspective: Nossa Senhora Santana is the patron saint of Caxito. In Sassa Povoação, in the municipality of Dande, stands the statue of Jacaré Bangão, regarded as a mythical symbol of Bengo Province’s culture. These two points of interest represent different forms of cultural identity: a patron saint associated with Caxito and a symbol of provincial culture.

Landscape and Regional Orientation

The Bengo River, also known as the Dande, flows from east to west through the province. Tourist attractions in Bengo Province also include Açude, Pambala Beach and the cliffs at Barra do Dande. The river and the named attractions provide different points of reference: the river describes a route through the province, while the beach and cliffs are named as individual attractions.

For a broader travel overview: Quicama.