The actual tilma (cape-like garment woven from maguey cactus fibers) worn by San Juan Diego in December 1531. The framed tilma hangs over the main altar at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Mexico City.
The annual feast of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) falls on December 12. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
is Mexico's patron saint, and her image adorns churches and altars,
house facades and interiors, taxis, private cars, and buses, bull rings
and gambling dens, restaurants and houses of ill repute. The shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe, la Basílica, is a place of extraordinary
vitality and celebration. On major festival days such as the
anniversary of the apparition on December 12th, the atmosphere of
devotion created by the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims is truly
electrifying.
Statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe for sale at the many, many souvenir booths outside the Basílica.
The enormous Basílica of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in
Mexico City is the most visited pilgrimage site in the Western
Hemisphere. As many as 18 to 20 million people visit the shrine each year. Its location, on the hill of Tepeyac, was a place of great
sanctity long before the arrival of Christianity in the New World. In
pre-Hispanic times, Tepeyac had been crowned with a temple dedicated to
an earth and fertility goddess called Tonantzin, the Mother of the Gods.
Tonantzin was a virgin goddess associated with the moon, like Our Lady
of Guadalupe who usurped her shrine.
Our Lady of Guadalupe tattoo.
Read the full story of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe here.
Our Lady of Guadalupe surrounded by fresh roasted peanuts, Morelia, Michoacán. November 2009.
Holy water bottles in rainbow colors of plastic, for sale at the booths just outside the Basílica.
Art casket, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Basílica.
Folk art depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Statue
in resin of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pope John Paul II, who was
devoted to her. This image continues to be reproduced as calendars, statues of all
sizes, and pictures to hang on the wall. Pope John Paul II still has millions of devotees in Mexico.
Portrait of Monseñor Diego Monroy, rector of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The painting is part of Monseñor Monroy's private collection.
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, 19th century image on metal. At the top of this antique memento you can see the words, "Santuario de Guadalupe, 12 de Diciembre".
In 1810, Padre Miguel Hidalgo carried this banner to lead the struggle for Mexico's independence from Spain.
Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
Leave a Reply