Our Lady of Guadalupe Interesting Facts

The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearances to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on Tepeyac Hill in December 1531 is now familiar; however, there are some parts of the narrative that typically get left out in the capsulized-version of the story. The following will provide some insight on those lesser-known aspects of the drama that occurred in Mexico during a period of change following the arrival of the Spaniard Hernan Cortes in 1519 and the decline of the Aztec civilization that ruled central Mexico from about 1345 to 1521. Elaborate Aztec cities and magnificent temples were razed by the Spaniards and their armies. Plague and smallpox wreaked havoc on the indigenous population. Christianity came along with the Spanish, but had not taken full root; and then came the appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a humble local man Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on Tepeyac Hill, northwest of the modern-day Mexico City which may have been a turning point in the evangelization of Mexico.

Our Lady’s Appearances on Tepeyac Hill (short version)
The story goes that Juan Diego was walking near Tepeyac Hill when he heard beautiful singing birds and a sweet voice saying, “Juan Diego, Juan Diego. I am the ever-perfect Virgin Mary, who has the honor of being the Mother of the true God.” She asked Juan Diego to go to Bishop Juan de Zumarraga and ask him to build a church on Tepeyac Hill. Juan Diego asked the Bishop, but he dismissed him, asking for a sign that this request was indeed from the Virgin Mary. A few days later on December 12, 1531, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac Hill where Our Lady greeted him and reassured him that his sick uncle would be healed. She told Juan Diego to pick the Castilian roses which had appeared miraculously on Tepeyac Hill and take them to the Bishop as “proof” – Juan Diego did as asked, wrapping the roses in his tilma (mantle/cloak). When he arrived at the Bishop’s, he unfolded his tilma to present the roses, and the most beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin was imprinted on his tilma. The Bishop and all present fell to their knees in awe of the loveliness of the image of Our Lady on the tilma – a beautiful brown-skinned lady standing atop a crescent moon with the rays of the sun shining from behind – a likeness of the Blessed Virgin that Juan Diego had seen on Tepeyac Hill. The fabulous, miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is now enshrined in the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Basilica is the outgrowth of the original church built on Tepeyac Hill by the Bishop, that has been gradually enlarged over the years as many people came to venerate Our Lady under this important title in Mexico and throughout the world. The current New Basilica was completed in 1976 and attracts 18 to 20 million visitors and pilgrims each year.

The full account of Our Lady’s appearances to St. Juan Diego can be read in the "Nican Mopoha" (“here it is narrated”), a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language by the indigenous scholar named Antonio Valeriano.  Also see https://churchwonders.com/mary-saints/our-lady-of-guadalupe/ for more information.

Interesting Fact #1
The last name of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin means “eagle that speaks” – an appropriate moniker for the bearer of the story of the appearances of the Patroness of the Americas.

Interesting Fact #2
Our Lady appeared 5 times over two days on December 9, 1531 and December 12, 1531. She appeared 4 different times to Juan Diego on those days and appeared once to Juan Diego’s uncle, Juan Bernardino on December 12, 1531 - simultaneously to the time that She was telling Juan Diego that Juan Bernardino, who was near death, had been cured.

Interesting Fact #3
Juan Diego’s tilma (mantle/cloak) is made of cactus-cloth which has an expected life of approximately 50 years, but has now lasted nearly 500 years with no signs of decay defying scientific explanations.

Interesting Fact #4
Over the years, St. Pope John Paul II has visited Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Shrine four times: 1979, 1990, 1999 and 2002. St. Pope John Paul II beatified Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on May 6, 1990 and made him an official saint (canonized him) on July 31, 2002.

Interesting Fact #5
Juan Diego brought Castilian roses to the Bishop. These roses are native to the Bishop’s home in the Castile region of Spain and would not have been growing in central Mexico – particularly during the cold of December.

Interesting Fact #6
It is said that the arrangement of the stars on the mantle on the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is consistent with the constellations seen in the sky of Mexico at dawn of December 12, 1531 (one of the dates of Our Lady’s appearances to Juan Diego).

Interesting Fact #7
Our Lady of Guadalupe stands atop a crescent moon. The root meaning of “Mexico” is “on the moon” or “in the navel of the moon”.

Interesting Fact #8
The head of the Blessed Virgin on the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is tilted at 23.5 degrees – the same degree of inclination as the Earth on its axis of rotation. The existence of life on Earth is credited to this level of tilt; and the birth of Jesus is from Our Lady.

Interesting Fact #9
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is Christianity’s most visited sanctuary with 18 to 20 million visitors each year.

Interesting Fact #10
The name of the Bishop to whom Juan Diego made requests for building a church on Tepeyac Hill was Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan.