Patron of Latin America. She is celebrated all over the world on this day by Hispanics. Traditionally, we pay homage to Our Lady by bringing her flowers and dressing small children in Mexican natives. A Mariachi band sings the Mass followed by a gathering and sharing of treats. Join us in a procession with the rosary and singing praises to Our Lady.
When the Spaniards conquered Mexico in 1521 and encountered the Aztecs, they were horrified at what they found. Although the Aztecs were much more advanced than their neighbors, their religious practice of brutal human sacrifice prompted their conquerors to destroy many of their pyramids and convert the Aztecs. This conversion was met with revolt and resistance and few Aztecs accepted Christianity.
The Archbishop was discouraged at the difficulty the missionaries faced and asked the Blessed Mother for help. He also asked for Castilian roses as a sign that his prayers had been heard.
In 1531, a recent convert to Christianity named Juan Diego was on his daily 10-mile journey to Mass. As he was crossing Tepayac Hill, Juan Diego heard a voice calling his name. He followed the voice to the top of the hill and there he met a beautiful woman who called herself Mary, Mother of God. She gave her name in the native language, and it sounded very much like Our Lady of Guadalupe. She asked Juan to go to the Bishop and ask for a church to be built atop the hill dedicated to her. The Bishop did not believe Juan.
As Juan returned home, he encountered the Lady again at the hill. Asking Juan to revisit the Bishop, she said she would meet Juan at the hill the next day. The following day he went back to the Bishop, who asked Juan to request a sign from the Lady. As Juan returned home he found his uncle very ill. Juan wanted to summon a priest, but he didn’t want to be held up by the Lady, so he went the long way around the hill. Even so, the Lady appeared to Juan. She assured him that his uncle was cured of his illness, and asked Juan to go to the top of the hill and collect roses. Juan was very surprised to find roses growing on a frosty December day and he gathered them all up in his cloak, also called a tilma. The Lady arranged the roses in his cloak and then he continued on to visit the Bishop.
When Juan spoke to the Bishop about building the church, he dropped the hem of his cloak and let the flowers fall out. Castilian roses tumbled out. You can imagine the reaction of the Bishop and those around him when they saw that besides the incredible roses a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary appeared on the tilma!
Accepting this as the sign he prayed for, the Bishop was overjoyed and accepted the Blessed Mother’s request to build a church on the hill.
The image on the cloak was a clear sign to the Aztecs, who were well versed in symbolism and imagery. Within 10 years, 9 million natives voluntarily converted to Christianity.
Although the cloak is almost 500 years old, it can be viewed today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City as beautiful as when first viewed. It is on display behind the main altar and an endless stream of visitors from around the world come to see it. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful symbol of unity and love for all of Mexico.