December 12 is the feast day of La Virgen de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), one of 20 official Marian apparitions in the modern era.
San Juan Diego and La Virgen
In the winter of 1531, about ten years after the Spanish conquered the Mexica (Aztec) peoples, the spirit of the Virgin Mary appeared to a native Chichimec man named Cuāuhtlahtoātzin (San Juan Diego), proclaiming to be La Virgen. She appeared as a beautiful, brown-skinned woman wearing a fine Indigenous-style dress and veil. The stars appeared above her, the sun behind her, and the moon at her feet. She spoke to Juan Diego in his native tongue of Nahuatl, telling him she wanted a shrine built for her on the Hill of Tepeyac near Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). La Virgen performed miracles and gave him a sign to show the archbishop.
The archbishop of Mexico City accepted the miracle of La Virgen's image imprinted on Juan Diego's cloak and had La Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe built on Tepeyec, where she had appeared. La Basilica is the most visited Marian shrine in the world and the world's third most visited sacred site, behind only the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in India. Juan Diego's tilma, with La Virgen's nearly perfect imprinted image, has been on display in the Basilica for almost 500 years!
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known by many names, which help tell her story
La Virgen de Guadalupe
the biblical Virgin Mary, and the location of similar chapel in Spain
St. Mary / Santa Maria
The mother of Jesus
Blessed Mother / La bendita madre
- La Virgen is the only Marian apparition represented as pregnant, as indicated by the black cloth belt worn just under her bust.
- The belt is also a symbol of her indigeneity, as many expectant native women wore a dark-colored cloth around their growing bellies.
- She said to Juan Diego, “Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection?
The Mystic Rose / La rosa mística
As proof of her legitimacy, La Virgen performed three miracles:
- She healed Juan Diego's uncle of a fatal illness;
- Roses suddenly grew on the hill in winter, which Juan Diego gathered in his tilma (cloak) and showed to the archbishop of Mexico City;
- When he dropped the roses, the imprint of her image was on Juan Diego's tilma.
Tonantzin Guadalupe
Syncretism (mix) of Spanish Catholic and Indigenous Mexican beliefs
- Tonantzin - Nahuatl title meaning "divine earth mother"
- Cihuacóatl - Nahuatl for "Serpent Woman", goddess of midwives and protector of women
- Guadalupe - from Arabic wadal and Latin lupus, meaning "river of wolves" for the Guadalupe River in Cáceres, Spain
Patroness of Latin America / La patrona de América latina
Protector of all Indigenous peoples of North, Central, and South America
Queen of Mexico / La reina de México
The original painting on Juan Diego's tilma included a golden crown atop La Virgen's head; however, the image was damaged during the 1800s and the crown is no longer visible.
Ways to honor La Virgen on Marymas
Visit a church or shrine
Bring an offering of red roses to La Virgen at a church or shrine.
- Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Christ the Good Shepherd Church: 18511 Klein Church Road, Spring, TX 77379
- Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Prince of Peace Catholic Church: Texas 249, Houston, TX
- Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe - Our Lady of Guadalupe Church: 2405 Navigation Blvd. Houston, TX 77003
Give
Donate to a cause that supports children, women, femme people, native people, and/or refugees in her name. Many international, nationwide, and local organizations support these communities. The sites below can help you find an organization that fits your needs.
Light a pink or red novena candle
Pray the following prayer
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