From December 9 to 12, 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared four times to the Nahua Indian Juan Diego, a recent convert to Christianity. She asked that a shrine be built in that place, called Cuantlalápan. The Spaniards, probably thinking of the famous Marian shrine in Extremadura, Spain, altered the name to Guadalupe. The site was the hill of Tepeyac, where the goddess Tonantzin Cilmacóatl—“our beloved mother, lady-serpent”—had been worshiped. This became a clear and beautiful example of Christian inculturation. Later, the area became part of the municipality known as Guadalupe Hidalgo, eventually absorbed into today’s vast Mexico City (Federal District).
Juan Diego took Our Lady’s message to the bishop-elect at that time, the Franciscan friar Juan de Zumárraga, who later became bishop and archbishop, and who was known as a strong defender of the natural rights of the Indigenous people against the injustices of the conquerors. The last time Juan Diego appeared before him, he opened his tilma (cloak), from which fresh roses—growing miraculously out of season—fell to the ground. On the fabric of the tilma appeared the image of the Immaculate Virgin: the now world-famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Over the centuries, several churches were built, replaced, and renovated at the site. One of the most beloved is the Chapel of El Pocito, next to the great church and the former collegiate. The current basilica, completed in 1709, had to be enlarged in the 19th century, since it had become not only one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world, but also one of the most remarkable places of ethnic and religious history. It was granted the title of basilica in 1895.
Since 1747, the Virgin of Guadalupe has been honored as the patroness of Mexico, and in 1910 she was declared patroness of all the Americas. During his visit to Mexico in January 1999, Pope John Paul II raised December 12 to the rank of a liturgical feast for the whole American continent.
