The importance of sustainability is recognized by the United Nations in the approach it has made to its objectives of sustainable development, which is why this article makes a first analysis of the impact on urban growth and the quality of life of the inhabitants of the population of Santa Ana de Guadalupe, in Jalisco, Mexico, as a consequence of the religious tourism that receives product of the canonization of Santo Toribio Romo on the part of Juan Pablo II. The work was carried out using a qualitative methodology, applying both non-participant direct observation during field visits to the target population, as well as interviews and written request for information to various actors in the public domain, as well as a review of the published reports where the population and topic of this research is addressed. In spite of the rapid spread of devotion to Santo Toribio Romo that has taken him in less than twenty years to become one of the most visited sanctuaries in Mexico, generating a high influx of religious tourists to the town of Santa Ana de Guadalupe, has not come to substantially improve the living standards of the residents of the place as shown in this work.
