Joshua Bennett
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary, who appeared to Juan Diego, a peasant and recent widower, on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531. She identified herself as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity, and asked that a shrine be built on the site of her appearance. Juan Diego returned to the hill and encountered Our Lady again, who told him to collect flowers from the hill and present them to the Archbishop. When Juan Diego presented the flowers, they fell out of his cloak, revealing a colourful image of the Virgin Mary imprinted on the inside. This image is now venerated in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and is considered a sacred object.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Title | Our Lady of Guadalupe |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Image | Appeared on Saint Juan Diego's tilma (cloak) |
| Image description | Virgin Mary with her head bowed and hands together in prayer |
| Image location | Above the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City |
| Image characteristics | Gown adorned with stars, gold fringe on the cloak, blue-green mantle, pregnant |
| Apparition location | Tepeyac Hill, Mexico |
| Apparition date | December 1531 |
| Number of apparitions | 4 to Juan Diego and 1 to his uncle, Juan Bernardino |
| Feast day | December 12 |
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What You'll Learn
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The image has been described as a representation of the Immaculate Conception, with Mary "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1). The iconography of the Virgin is fully Catholic, and she is depicted with downcast eyes, signifying her humility. Mary's mantle is turquoise, a colour associated with royalty in Aztec tradition and signifying Mary's queenly status.
The image has been the subject of much debate and scrutiny, with critics questioning the authenticity of the apparition and the lack of early documentary evidence. However, defenders of the image, including Pope John Paul II, accept the authenticity of the early documents and point to various oral accounts of the apparition. The image has also been associated with miracles, including the survival of the tilma after a bomb explosion in 1921 and the alleged detection of a heartbeat when a doctor placed a stethoscope over the womb.
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The tilma (cloak)
The tilma, or cloak, is a central part of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In December 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe, or the Virgin Mary, appeared to an indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico. She asked him to build a shrine in that spot so that she could share her love and compassion with believers.
Juan Diego returned to the hill and encountered Our Lady again. She told him to climb to the top of the hill and pick some flowers to present to the Archbishop. Juan Diego found an abundance of flowers, despite it being winter, and the Virgin bundled these flowers into his tilma. When Juan Diego presented the tilma of exotic flowers to the Archbishop, the flowers fell out, and the tilma revealed a colourful image of the Virgin Mary with her head bowed and hands together in prayer.
The tilma is made from coarse fabric created from the threads of the maguey cactus, or agave popotule fibre from the ixtle plant. This fibre usually disintegrates within 20-60 years, yet the tilma has shown no signs of deterioration after almost 500 years. Microscopic examination of the image on the tilma has revealed no brush strokes, under sketch, sizing, or protective over-varnish. The image is smooth and feels like a modern-day photograph. The image is also iridescent, showing luminous colours that seem to change from different angles.
The image on the tilma holds particular meaning for Mexican and Indigenous people. Our Lady of Guadalupe's skin colour and features are those of a mestiza, a woman of mixed Indigenous and European heritage, symbolising the unity of both peoples. Her eyes are downcast, a sign of humility. Her mantle is turquoise, a colour reserved for royalty in Aztec tradition, signifying Mary's queenly status. The stars on her mantle coincide with the constellation in the sky on 12 December 1531, the day of her first apparition.
The tilma has survived various threats, including a bomb that exploded under it in 1921, damaging the altar of the Basilica that houses it but leaving the tilma unharmed.
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The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is currently housed in a golden frame above the main altar of the Basilica, where it has been since the new basilica was completed in 1976. The iconography of the Virgin is fully Catholic: Miguel Sánchez, the author of the 1648 tract Imagen de la Virgen María, described her as the Woman of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's Revelation 12:1, "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." She is described as a representation of the Immaculate Conception.
The basilica was designed by the architect Ignacio Castera on land donated by Salvador Beltrán and built between 1792 and 1797. It was occupied by Capuchin mothers of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the convent was founded by the servant Sor María Ana. The original church, or Old Basilica, was constructed on the site of an earlier 16th-century church and was finished in 1709. When this basilica became unstable due to sinking foundations, a modern structure called the New Basilica was built nearby.
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The Virgin Mary's appearance
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary. She is said to have appeared four times to Juan Diego, a Chichimec peasant and Aztec convert to Christianity, and once to his uncle, Juan Bernardino, in December 1531.
The first apparition occurred on December 9, 1531, when Juan Diego saw a glowing figure on Tepeyac Hill, who identified herself as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity. She asked Juan to build a shrine to her on that same spot, so that she could share her love and compassion with all those who believe.
Juan Diego returned to the hill and encountered the Virgin again. She told him to climb to the top of the hill and pick some flowers to present to the Archbishop. Despite it being winter, Juan Diego found an abundance of flowers of a type he had never seen before. The Virgin bundled the flowers into Juan's cloak, known as a tilma. When Juan Diego presented the tilma of exotic flowers to the Archbishop, the flowers fell out, and he recognised them as Castilian roses, which are not found in Mexico. But what was even more significant was that the tilma had been miraculously imprinted with a colourful image of the Virgin herself.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has played an important role as a national symbol of Mexico. She is depicted as a woman of mixed Indigenous and European heritage (mestiza), with downcast eyes, signifying her virtuous humility. She wears a turquoise-coloured mantle (rebozo), which in Aztec tradition was a colour reserved for royalty, thus signifying Mary's queenly status. The stars on her mantle are said to represent heaven, while the rose colour of her tunic, which she wears beneath her mantle, signifies the dawn of a new era. The sunburst behind Mary is believed to represent the Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli, with the Virgin emerging from the Sun but not extinguishing its rays, signifying that she is greater than any sun god.
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The significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The name refers to four Marian apparitions to Juan Diego and one to his uncle, Juan Bernardino, in December 1531, when the Mexican territories were part of the Spanish Empire.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It is a venerated image on a cloak (tilmahtli) associated with the apparition. Pope Leo XIII granted a decree of canonical coronation for the image on 8 February 1887. The coronation was executed by the former Archbishop of Mexico, Próspero Alarcón y Sánchez de la Barquera, on 12 October 1895. Pope Paul VI raised the shrine's status to Minor Basilica via his Pontifical decree titled Sacra illa Ædes on 6 October 1976.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has played an important role as a national symbol of Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit her shrine in Mexico City every year. The image combines European Roman Catholic symbolism with imagery from the Aztec religion. Our Lady of Guadalupe's skin colour and features are those of a mestiza, a woman of mixed Indigenous and European heritage, because she represents the unity of both peoples. Her eyes are downcast, signifying her virtuous humility. Mary's mantle is turquoise, the colour of royalty in Aztec tradition, signifying her queenly status.
Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Queen of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas. Her feast day is celebrated on December 12th.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is significant as she is viewed as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity. She is also the Patroness of all the Americas.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego four times and once to his dying uncle, Juan Bernardino, in December 1531.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
