Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a revered Catholic title associated with the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in December 1531, on the hill of Tepeyac in what is now Mexico City. Juan Diego, a recently converted Aztec Indian, was instructed by the Virgin to request that the Bishop build a church at the site of her appearance. After initial skepticism, Juan Diego returned with miraculous proof: a tilma filled with Castilian roses, which were not native to Mexico and bloomed in winter, and upon presenting them, the tilma revealed a colorful image of the Virgin. This image, preserved since then, is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The apparition played a pivotal role in the conversion of millions of indigenous people to Christianity over the next seven years. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of the Americas and her shrine became a major pilgrimage site. Pope Leo XIII granted a decree for the canonical coronation of the image in 1887, and it was executed in 1895. Juan Diego, the recipient of these apparitions, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990 and canonized in 2002. The Basilica, elevated to a Minor Basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1976, is one of the most visited sacred sites globally. Our Lady of Guadalupe's legacy extends beyond religious significance, symbolizing unity and cultural identity in Mexico and the Americas.