Definition of Virgin of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of Mexico, of all Latin America and from the Philippines. In this sense, millions of Catholic believers are fervent devotees of her. It is a question of a mestizo virgin and the image that one has of her is that of a maiden pregnant with hers, her son, Jesus of her.

The historical context in which the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared

In the month of December 1531 on the hill of Tepeyac, north of Mexico City, a Marian apparition took place (in Catholic terms it is an invocation of the Virgin Mary). This episode involved the massive conversion of indigenous people to Catholicism.

It should be noted that at that time the natives had been under the power of the Spanish conquerors for ten years. Therefore, there was an obvious conflict between Indians and Spaniards, since the former maintained their religious beliefs and the latter sought consolidate the religion catholic. It is in this historical context when the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe occurred.

Very early in the morning the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous person of the Chichimeca ethnic group.

To demonstrate the authenticity After her appearance, the Virgin asked Juan Diego to cut some flowers so that he would show them to the bishop of the place (the hill of Tepeyac It was a desert area and in it there was no vegetation, so it was the Virgin herself who made flowers grow in that inhospitable place). At the same time, the Virgin told Juan Diego that on that same hill she wanted a hermitage to be built for prayer.

The moment Juan Diego gave the flowers to the bishop, the canvas portrait of the Virgin appeared miraculously. Since then, this is the image that Mexicans venerate in the Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe. With her appearance, the Virgin of Guadalupe announced the arrival of the true God to the territory from Mexico.

After the apparition there was an accelerated process of conversion to Catholicism

From then on the natives and the Spaniards began to venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is estimated that seven years after the appearance of the Virgin, millions of indigenous people converted to Catholicism.

Catholics refer to this episode as the Guadalupano miracle, since the Catholic faith in Mexico only You can understand from the moment the Virgin made contact with Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac.

In some episodes in the history of Mexico (such as the Cristero War or the War of the Reform) the Virgin of Guadalupe had a leading role singular. In fact, the population With deep Catholic beliefs, she was inspired by her patron to defend her ideals.

Photos: Fotolia - qingwa / aratehortua