Teotihuacan and Guadalupe Shrine

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is recognized as a symbol of all Catholic world. "The Aztecs…had an elaborate, coherent symbolic system for making sense of their lives. When this was destroyed by the Spaniards, something new was needed to fill the void and make sense of New Spain…the image of Guadalupe served that purpose.

According to Roman Catholic tradition, on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego (a recently converted Aztec indigenous peasant) had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert near Mexico City. The lady asked him to build a church exactly on the spot where they were standing. He told the local Bishop Juan de Zumarraga who asked for proof in exchange.

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe) is a celebrated Roman Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary. Under this title, she is officially proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church as the Patroness of Americas, Empress of Latin America and Protectress of the Unborn Children.