Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Mexico as the pregnant Mother of God to Saint Juan Diego, a Chicemeca Indian, on December 9, 10 and 12, 1531. She left a Miraculous Image of her appearance on his cactus fiber cloak, or "tilma", which still exists today for all to see in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. 

     Our Lady came to offer faith, hope and consolation to the oppressed natives of Mexico and to reconcile then with their Spanish rulers.  She put an end to the bloody human sacrifice of the Aztecs and converted nine million natives in the next nine years!

          After the conquest, the Spanish rule of the natives was so severe that a bloody revolt was imminent.  Bishop Zummaraga prayed for Our Lady to intervene to prevent an uprising, to reconcile the Spanish and the natives and to bring peace.  It is believed that he asked that he would receive roses native to his homeland of Castile Spain as a sign that his prayer would be answered.

     On December 9, 1531, Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego who was a recently  converted Catholic.  She asked him to go to the Bishop and request him to build a church for her on the barren hill of Tepeyac that is now part of Mexico City.  Our Lady wanted to show her merciful love to all of her children.  The prudent Bishop asked Juan to ask the Lady for a sign.  Juan did so and Our Lady promised to give him the sign.

     On December 12, Our Lady again appeared to Juan on Tepeyac Hill and told him to pick the Castilian roses which miraculously appeared there and bring them to the Bishop as a sign for him to believe her request.  Juan gathered the roses into his tilma and brought them to the Bishop.

     Juan opened the tilma to show them and, to everyone's astonishment, the Image of Our Lady appeared on it.  The Bishop then built the church as Our Lady had requested and nine million natives were converted and baptized to the one, true faith within the next nine years.  Human sacrifice ended in Mexico forever.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, which means Crusher of the stone serpent, brought the light of the true faith, crushed the false gods of Mexico and established an era of peace.

The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a Pictograph
 

     The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph which was read and understood quickly by the Aztec Indians. 

     1.    THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN
            She was greater than the dreaded Huitzilopochtli, their
            sun-god of war.

     2.    HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT
            MOON 
            She had clearly crushed Quetzalcoatl,
            the feathered serpent moon-god.                          

     3.   THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE
           She was greater than the stars of heaven which             they worshipped.  She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head. She appeared on December 12, 1531 and the stars that she wore are the constellations of
the stars that appeared in the sky that day!

4.         THE BLUE‑GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE
            She was a Queen because she wears the color of royalty.

5.         THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK
            Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son who died
            on the cross for all mankind.

6.         THE BLACK BELT
            She was with child because she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.

7.         THE FOUR PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB
            She was the Mother of God because the flower was a special symbol of 
            life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.

8.         HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER
            She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she
            pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.

9.         THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT
            She is the Queen of the Earth because she is wearing a contour map of
            Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Science

1.         The image to this date, cannot be explained by science.

2.         The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years!
            The tilma or cloak of Saint Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has
             been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey
             cactus. This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years! 

3.         There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the
             image.

4.         Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes.

5.         The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown
            property of the surface and substance of which it is made.

6.         According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a     
            modern day photograph.  (Produced 300 years before the invention of
            photography.)

7.         The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or
            camera.

8.         Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is  
            believed to be the images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan  
            Gonzales, the interpreter and others.

9.         The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in
            the normal eye which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface.

10.       The stars on Our Lady's Mantle coincide with the constellations in the sky on
            December 12, 1531. All who have scientifically examined the image of Our
            Lady over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique
            and so inexplicable in human terms that the image can only be supernatural!