Pilgrimage Geography

Religious pilgrimage is geography made spiritual. Muslims travel to Mecca from every direction on Earth — the Hajj is one of the largest annual human migrations. Christians walk the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain.

The geography of pilgrimage is deliberate. Routes are often hard because the struggle is part of the spiritual experience. The journey to Varanasi along the Ganges, the climb to Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, the long walk across the Spanish countryside — each route asks the traveler to earn the destination.