Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a Marian apparition and a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrima…
What is the La Virgen de Guadalupe?
It marks the date in 1531 when the Virgin Mary purportedly appeared to an indigenous Mexican, in the last of several apparitions. Participants celebrate the apparition of the Virgen de Guadalupe to Juan Diego, by attending the midnight mass.
Is there a saint of Guadalupe in Mexico?
Veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been particularly strong among women, especially in Mexico, and since at least the early 18th century the devotion was spread throughout the world by the Jesuits and other religious. The Old Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City.
What is the pilgrimage to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico?
This pilgrimage is only one part of Mexican people’s connection to the Virgin of Guadalupe. During the pilgrimage in Mexico, people visit the shrine on a hill near where Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to an Aztec man named Juan Diego who had converted to Christianity in 1531.
Why is Our Lady of Guadalupe important to Mexico?
Griselda Nevarez / Griselda Nevarez To the present day, Our Lady of Guadalupe remains a powerful symbol of Mexican identity and faith, and her image is associated with everything from motherhood to feminism to social justice.
What is the Virgen de Guadalupe patron saint of?
of MexicoPope Pious XXII crowned Our Lady of Guadalupe “Empress of the Americas” in 1945, and she has long been recognized as the patron saint of Mexico.
What is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
Our Lady of Guadalupe's message of love had replaced the institutionalized violence of the Aztec culture and built a bridge between two worlds. Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message traces the history of this transformative event from the 16th century to the present.
What does the Virgin of Guadalupe symbolize?
Our Lady of Guadalupe has represented unconditional love and protection far before she became a pop culture reference in fashion and art. On Dec. 12, 1531, her miracle served as the catalyst to build the Basilica of Our Lady Of Guadalupe in Northern Mexico and inspired a Catholic celebration every year since.
What miracle did Our Lady of Guadalupe?
It was found at the beginning of the 14th century, when the Virgin appeared to a humble shepherd and ordered him to dig at the site of the apparition. The recovered Virgin then miraculously helped to expel the Moors from Spain, and her small shrine evolved into the great Guadalupe monastery.
What was Mary's message to Juan?
Mary clearly indicated to Juan Diego that he was necessary for the execution of heaven's plan. When he protested his inability and urged the Virgin Mary to send a person better known and respected, her answer was, "Listen, least of my sons.
What is the message of the apparition?
During the apparitions, Mary told the children to pray the Rosary each day to bring peace to the world and to bring an end to the war. She asks them to pray for the conversion of Russia, to do penance and that God wanted the world to have a devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.
What was Mary's message when she appeared to Juan Diego?
According to tradition, Mary appeared to Juan Diego, who was an Aztec convert to Christianity, on December 9 and again on December 12, 1531. During her first apparition she requested that a shrine to her be built on the spot where she appeared, Tepeyac Hill (now in a suburb of Mexico City).
What is the meaning of Guadalupe?
River Of The WolfThe name Guadalupe is primarily a gender-neutral name of Spanish origin that means River Of The Wolf. Name given to honor the Virgin Mary in Hispanic cultures, titled "Our Lady of Guadalupe."
What is the significance of Guadalupe's appearance on Tepeyac?
The appearance of Guadalupe on Tepeyac, the site of the destroyed Aztec temple of Tonantzin, the Mother Earth Goddess restored the dignity and the spirit of the people. Her arrival is said to mark the birth of a new land and a new people, neither European nor prehispanic, but both, the first product of the New World. Even her physical appearance announced the newness of this world, for her face looked neither like the Spanish nor the Indian. Her lovely features are the pleasant mixture of both – she is a Mestizo, the first Mexican.
What is the Virgin of Mexico?
The Virgin IS Mexico – fiesta and fervor, food and devoted song, dance and penance. She is the image, the icon that gave birth to a nation and that is the cornerstone of national pride and strength, a symbol of the homeland.
What is the relationship between Mexicans and La Virgen?
Beginning to understand the intense relationship between Mexicans and La Virgen is to begin to understand the people of this great and confusing nation of contrasts. In ten years of oppression by the Spaniards, the Indians had been worn down, their spirit was broken, but relatively few had been baptized as Christians.
Who is the first lady of Mexico?
Is it any wonder, then, that while in other countries, the First Lady of the land is the wife of the President or Ruler, the Virgin of Guadalupe is the First Lady of Mexico, Mother of all Mexicans and Queen of the Americas.
Who said Mexicans will hold fast to their belief in two things?
Octavio Paz, Mexican thinker, writer and Nobel prize recipient said, “When Mexicans no longer believe in anything, they will still hold fast to their belief in two things: the National Lottery and the Virgin of Guadalupe. In this I think they will do well.
Who is the mother of Mexicans?
GUADALUPE, MOTHER OF MEXICANS. Guadalupe is Mother to ALL Mexicans, not just the struggling, or the poor or the immigrant. She is there for the wealthy as well as the desperate. She is equally important to the new President of the land as the campesino picking chiles.
Is Guadalupanas a two dimensional image?
It has never occurred to Guadalupanas that others could see the image as flat, and tacky, a two dimensional piece of religious art . They cannot believe that others are missing out on the unconditional love that makes the Virgin multi-dimensional, alive, and a very real part of the family. She IS, after all, their MOTHER, she is always there, waiting to be consulted, waiting to be consoling, waiting to listen, waiting to speak, to enfold them in her arms, to pull them on to her lap.
Where did Guadalupe come from?
1. Many Mexicans aren't aware that the original Guadalupe is from Extremadura, Spain. In fact, Christopher Columbus was a devotee and even named the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in her honor, after she purportedly saved his fleet from a storm at sea.
Who created the Guadalupe?
A bare-breasted Guadalupe created by artist Paz Winshtein was the object of considerable controversy when it was displayed at a gallery in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2014. 7. The etymology of her name is the subject of considerable debate.
What did Guadalupe tell Diego to gather?
During her third apparition, Guadalupe told Diego to gather some Spanish roses that had miraculously bloomed in his “tilma,” or cactus-fiber cloak.
Where does the prefix "guada" come from?
There is little doubt that the prefix "Guada" comes from the Arabic "wadi," or river valley. The jury, however, remains out on "lupe," which many assert comes from the Spanish "lobo" ("lupus" in Latin), or wolf. 8. Guadalupe was an integral part of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20).
When was Santa Muerte's feast day?
On her feast day, Dec. 12, I thought I'd share 10 fascinating facts about the Virgin who led Mexicans to independence from Spain:
Who is the Brown Virgin?
La Virgen Morena (the Brown Virgin) is not only patroness of Mexico but also Empress of the Americas, from Chile to Canada. While other manifestations of Mary claim at most a region or country, Guadalupe is the only one to reign over two continents. And if that's not enough, for a brief period in the mid-20th century she was also declared patroness ...
Who did Diego seek out to share news of the miraculous apparition?
Diego sought out the archbishop of Mexico City to share news of the miraculous apparition but was met with skepticism. The brown-skinned Virgin appeared to the Aztec peasant a second time, in which Diego recounted what she already knew, that he’d been rebuked by the archbishop. Determined to have her church built and named Guadalupe, the Virgin instructed the middle-aged Aztec to try again with the top prelate in Mexico.
When did the Virgin of Guadalupe appear to Juan Diego?
Mexicans celebrate the appearance in 1531 of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Juan Diego.
Who declared "Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe"?
Father Miguel Hidalgo launched Mexico’s war for independence from Spain in 1810 by declaring, “Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!”. During the Mexican Revolution, Emiliano Zapata and other fighters carried her image into battle.
Why is Our Lady of Guadalupe used as a symbol of social justice?
Our Lady of Guadalupe has at times been utilized as a social justice icon, her image evoked by everyone from Cesar Chavez in the 1970s to immigration reform activists in the 2000s. “She is used as a symbol of justice,” Mora said, “because she holds an appeal to the poor, to marginalized people.
What is the significance of December 12th?
For millions of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, December 12th holds special significance. Elena Rubio, a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, was five years old when she first heard the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “It was on a family trip to Mexico,” she recalled.
How old was Elena Rubio when she heard the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
By Raul A. Reyes. Elena Rubio, a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, was five years old when she first heard the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “It was on a family trip to Mexico,” she recalled. “Back then, I couldn’t figure out whether the Virgin Mary and this lady were the same person.
Why did the Spanish see the brown-skinned Mary?
The notion of a brown-skinned Mary figure was critical to the eventual conversion of millions of indigenous people to Roman Catholicism.
What did Juan Diego find on the top of the hill?
Juan Diego did as he was instructed, and found an array of Castilian roses.
Where is the Virgin of Guadalupe statue?
A statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell.
How many pilgrims visit the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
Each year, as many as 10 million people travel to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, in what is believed to be the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the Americas. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the pilgrimage, which is due to take place on Dec. 12, will instead be held online this year. Normally, multiple pilgrimages take place ...
What is the Virgin's shrine?
Today, this shrine is part of a large complex which includes several church buildings, a larger-than-life group of statues that portray the Virgin’s apparition to Juan Diego and a large space for outdoor Mass, a Catholic worship service.
What is the most important object in the shrine?
The most important object in the shrine is the miraculous image of the Virgin that appeared on Juan Diego’s cloak, which is displayed in front of a moving sidewalk in the new construction.
What did Juan Diego tell the bishop about the roses?
The legend goes that when Juan Diego told the bishop about it, he demanded proof. Juan Diego then went back to the shrine and the Virgin told him about a place he could pick some roses. Juan Diego went back to the bishop, with his cloak full of roses. But when the bishop looked at the roses, it is said that an image of the Virgin appeared.
Where was the Virgin's shrine built?
In the belief that this was a miraculous occurrence, a shrine to the Virgin was built in Tepeyac in the northern part of Mexico City. Today, this shrine is part of a large complex which includes several church buildings, a larger-than-life group ...
Where do pilgrimages take place in Mexico?
Normally, multiple pilgrimages take place around this time of the year throughout the country that end at the basilica – a church building specially recognized by the Catholic pope – of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an apparition of the Virgin Mary in Mexico. In fact, images and statues of her are everywhere in Mexico.
When was the Virgin of Guadalupe's new home built?
A new home for the Virgin of Guadalupe. The New Basilica, as it is called, was built from 1974-1976 by Pedro Ramírez Vásquez. The building has a 1970s feel and looks a bit like an old-fashioned revival tent from the American south, with seven entryways that represent the seven gates of Celestial Jerusalem referred to in the Bible. ...
Who is the Queen of Mexico?
Visitors to Mexico City will soon recognise the figure associated with this church: whether on souvenirs, tattoos or posters, the Virgen de Guadalupe is the Queen of Mexico and the Empress of the Americas. Nowhere is her cult as strong as at the Basilica de Guadalupe, built in her honor and now one of the most visited religious sites in the world.
What do people sell at the Basilica in Mexico?
As with most tourist attractions in Mexico, there’s a lot of souvenir shopping to be done at the basilica. Vendors sell snacks, aguas frescas and ice cream to parched pilgrims, while a row of shops to one side of the plaza (at sidewalk level) sell statues, t-shirts, crucifixes, candles, necklaces, posters, calendars and anything else you might want as a keepsake memento of your visit. The streets that surround the basilica are teeming with street food vendors and small mom-and-pop restaurants where you can grab hearty (cheap) lunch.
How many people visit the Basilica of Mexico City?
Each year it is believed that 20 million people visit the basilica, and 9 million of those come for the Virgin of Guadalupe’s feast day on December 12. Oftentimes you will see dedicated pilgrims crawl from the door to the front altar on their knees.
What did Juan Diego do when he saw the apparition of a girl?
Legend has it that a baptized Aztec Indian named Juan Diego was walking on the hill of Tepeyac in the dead of winter, when he saw the apparition of young girl. She asked him to visit the local bishop and tell him that the Virgin Mary wanted a church built in her honor on the hill. Juan Diego did what he was told, visiting the local archbishop several times, but each time the bishop rejected his story.
What is the name of the church that Juan Diego dedicated to?
The entire complex is referred to as La Villa Basilica.
Where is Juan Diego's tilma?
Juan Diego's tilma in Mexico City's Basilica de Guadalupe | © Esparta Palma.