In 1531, the Virgin of Guadalupe became the crucial link between European Catholic and Indigenous spirituality. In Mexico, no other woman’s image is as widespread as the Virgin’s, who’s depiction’s run the gamut from the divine to the sublime, from high art to kitsch -such as plastic glow-in-the-dark statues sold by vendors outside the Basilica de La Virgin de Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The Spanish Conquistadors set out on the conquest of America bearing the banner of the Virgin against the native peoples. But soon, very soon, some of the native people took the Holy Mother for their own. After all, the Aztecs of Mexico already made pilgrimages to the hill of Tepeyac that was sacred to their goddess Tonantzin, the virgin mother of Huitzilopochtli, before Cortes ever landed. They understood and recognized her image as their own.
It should not have come as a surprise to the Spanish Bishop Juan de Zumarraga when the humble Indian medicine man came to his palace in early December of 1531, with a message from the Virgin of Guadalupe. She wished to have a house built for her on the hill of Tepeyac because she was coming to dwell among the Indians and be their loving Mother. The bishop said that it was ridiculous and didn’t believe what Juan Diego had told him, and asked him to leave. Juan Diego reported back to the Virgin with many apologies, that the bishop didn’t believe him. She told him he must go again.
This time Juan de Zumarraga was angry. Did Juan Diego a mere Indian, expect a proud Spaniard to believe that the Virgin had spoken to him? Without any sort of proof? Only if the Virgin sent a sign to the bishop would he believe it, and if Juan Diego dared show his face again, the servants would beat him.
Again Juan Diego returned to Tepyac. He told the Virgin that the bishop demanded proof, and could Juan Diego please be excused from doing any more because his dear uncle was dying of the plague and he needed to attend to him. She told him that his uncle would be well from that moment (which indeed was the case); so Juan Diego was instructed to climb the hill of Tepayac, and gather the proof he would find there and take it to the bishop. Juan Diego did as he was asked, and when he reached the top of the hill he found roses blooming, in the middle of winter. Where he had expected to find only stunted cactus nipped by the cold winds of winter, there were huge beautiful crimson and white and yellow and pink roses, like in a dream. He gathered the proof in his and left to take the roses to the bishop.
When Juan Diego reached the bishops palace, he had to wait a long time, with the great bundle of roses in his tilma. when finally the bishop allowed him to come in, Juan Diego said he had brought a sign from the Virgin, and then let the roses spill from his tilma to the feet of the bishop. Not only did the roses impress the bishop, but an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, with her Indian face and black eyes, and black hair, appeared on the rough cloth of the tilma.
By order of the bishop, a small church was soon constructed on the site designated by the Virgin. The original church was replaced by a larger structure built in 1709. The Miracle of Guadalupe was officially recognized by the Vatican in 1745. The second sanctuary was declared a Basilica in 1904, but by then it had begun to slowly sink into the soft, sandy soil beneath it. A new Basilica, of modern design and enormous capacity, was dedicated in October of 1976.
In this and other churches dedicated to La Virgen de Guadalupe throughout the nation, millions of the faithful will gather December 12 for processions, prayers, songs, dances, and fireworks to honor “La Reina de México” (The Queen of Mexico).
Juan Diego’s tilma, carefully preserved in the new Basilica, has been subjected to extensive analysis over the years. Experts have authenticated the fabric as dating to the 16th century, but have been unable to determine the type of pigment from which the image was rendered. It seems doubtful that in the Colonial era in Mexico human hands were capable of creating a portrait of its exquisite nature. Most wondrous of all, after 465 years, the image of the Virgin de Guadalupe remains clearly imprinted on the miraculous cloak without visible signs of deterioration.
