The koi in the pond in at Mission San Juan Capistrano swim animatedly during Monday’s Return of the Swallows celebration, but the elusive birds are conspicuously absent. (Mark Boster / LAT)
Filiberto Ramirez and Jose Louis Yanez of the Mariachi Espuelas de Mexico perform in the courtyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano. (Mark Boster / LAT)
Students from the Mission Parish School perform traditional dances on St. Joseph’s Day, when, by tradition, swallows are said to return to San Juan Capistrano from Goya, Argentina. (Mark Boster / LAT)
Kevin Hirose, center, leads first graders from the Mission Parish School to the stage, where they performed a swallows dance. More information on the swallows of San Juan Capistrano. (Mark Boster / LAT)
