Recently we visited the Basilica of the Virgin de Guadalupe. It is found in the north of the city, amid a bustling community. The new basilica is huge and very sterile...it resembles a train station. The old basilica just behind it, is beautiful with a museum inside with artwork and tributes to the Virgin. And, just behind that basilica, is the real treasure, the chapel that was built on the hill where the Virgin was first sighted.
Here is some background on the Virgin de Guadalupe:
Our Lady of Guadalupe (
Spanish:
Nuestra SeƱora de Guadalupe), also known as the
Virgin of Guadalupe (
Spanish:
Virgen de Guadalupe;
Nahuatl:
Tonantzin Guadalupe) is a celebrated
Catholic icon of the
Virgin Mary.
According to tradition,
Juan Diego, a simple
indigenous peasant, saw a vision of a young woman on December 9, 1531. While he was on the hill in the desert of
Tepeyac near
Mexico City, the lady told him to build a church exactly on the spot where they were standing. He told the local
bishop, who asked for some proof. He went back and saw the vision again. He told the lady that the bishop wanted proof, and she said "Bring the roses behind you." When he looked behind, he saw a bunch of roses growing. He cut the roses, placed them in his poncho and returned to the bishop. When he arrived to the bishop, he said he had brought proof. When he opened his poncho, instead of roses there was a picture of the young lady in the vision. Today, the
icon is displayed in the
Basilica of Guadalupe nearby, one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world.
[1] The Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image, with the titles "Queen of Mexico",
[2] "Empress of the Americas",
[3] and "Patroness of the Americas";
[4] both
Miguel Hidalgo (in the
Mexican War of Independence) and
Emiliano Zapata (during the
Mexican Revolution) carried
flags bearing the Our Lady of Guadalupe, and
Guadalupe Victoria, the first
Mexican president changed his name in honor of the
icon.
source: wikipedia
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Old basilica |
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New basilica |
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Doors to the chapel built where the indigenous man saw the Virgin |