Five centuries later, the image of Guadalupe continues to inspire awe, devotion, and questions that still remain unanswered.
Newsroom (15/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) The miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most influential religious and cultural events in the Americas. According to tradition, the apparitions occurred in December 1531 on Tepeyac Hill, north of present-day Mexico City, just ten years after the conquest of the Aztec Empire. At that time, there were spiritual and social conflicts; the indigenous peoples were undergoing a process of evangelization as Christianity began to take root among the ancient pre-Hispanic beliefs.
Juan Diego and the Call of Tepeyac
It is in this context that Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an indigenous man converted to Christianity. He lived in Cuautitlán. He walked several kilometers to attend Mass and receive religious instruction. On Saturday, December 9, 1531, while on his way to church, he heard a sweet voice calling him from the top of Tepeyac Hill. Upon climbing, he beheld a radiant woman, dressed in garments similar to those of indigenous princesses, but surrounded by a celestial aura.
The woman appeared with words that would mark history: “I am the ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God for whom we live.” She asked Juan Diego to go to the Bishop of Mexico, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, to convey her desire that a temple be built on that spot, from where she could manifest her love and compassion to all her children.
Juan Diego obeyed and told the bishop what had happened. However, Zumárraga asked for proof to confirm the authenticity of the vision. Upon returning to Tepeyac, the Virgin promised to grant him a sign. A few days passed, and on December 12, after tending to his gravely ill uncle, Juan Diego met with the Virgin again, who assured him that his uncle had already been miraculously healed.
The Mystery of the Tilma
The Virgin instructed him to climb to the top of the hill and gather the flowers he would find there. It was the dead of winter, and yet Juan Diego found Castilian roses, impossible to bloom at that time of year and in such arid soil. He picked them and kept them in his tilma, a cloak woven from maguey fibers known as an agave.
When he appeared before the bishop and unfolded the tilma, the flowers fell to the ground, and at that moment, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared imprinted on the fabric, just as it had appeared to Juan Diego. Moved, Zumárraga recognized the miracle and ordered the immediate construction of a temple on Tepeyac Hill. The tilma was displayed for public veneration and became one of the greatest symbols of the Catholic faith in Latin America.
Juan Diego’s tilma measures approximately 1.70 meters long by 1.05 meters wide and is made of agave fibers, a material that typically deteriorates within 20 to 30 years. However, the Guadalupe tilma has been remarkably well preserved for almost five centuries, withstanding humidity, dust, the passage of time, and even attacks.
Amazing Findings
Since the 17th century, the tilma has been the subject of research. In 1666, the first canonical studies began, and in 1754, Pope Benedict XIV officially approved the veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the 20th century, scientists and photographers analyzed the image using modern technology.
In 1929, photographer Alfonso Marcué discovered reflections in the Virgin’s eyes that appeared to correspond to human figures, as if they were retinas. Years later, in 1979, Dr. José Aste Tonsmann, a Peruvian engineer affiliated with NASA, claimed to have identified reflections of thirteen human figures in the pupils, including Juan Diego and Bishop Zumárraga, positioned in the exact location of the miracle. Although there is no absolute scientific consensus, these findings have been interpreted by many as signs of supernatural origin.
Another astonishing aspect is that the image shows no traces of paint or known pigments. Optical studies have indicated that the colors appear to float on the surface of the fabric without penetrating the fibers. Furthermore, the tilma survived a nitric acid spill in the 18th century and a dynamite explosion in 1921 that destroyed the altar, without causing any damage to the image.
Guadalupe Symbolism
The image of the Virgin contains a symbolic message understandable to both the indigenous people and the Spaniards of the 16th century. Her blue-green mantle with stars represents heaven and royalty, while the pink tunic cinched with a black sash indicates, according to Nahua tradition, that the woman is pregnant. Her hands joined in prayer and her downcast gaze express humility and compassion.
Beneath her feet appears the moon, and behind it a solar radiance, elements that evoke the biblical prophecy of the Apocalypse and, at the same time, symbols inherent to the Mexica worldview. Thus, the tilma united in a single image two worlds that seemed irreconcilable, offering
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