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The story of Guadalupe has
been handed down for generations and is based on several historical documents.
It originates in 1531, just 10 years after Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was
conquered by Hernan Cortez, in 1521.
Early one morning Cuauhtlatoatzin,
a macehual native (humble class native) who had already been baptized as
Juan Diego, was passing by Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City. He began
to feel a sweet harmony which made him stop. There he witnessed the
vision of a young beautiful girl below a rainbow, surrounded by song birds
with a soft brightness emanating from her.
He
was very surprised. She
said to him, "I am the Santa Maria Virgin, God. s true mother."
She asked him to build a sacred casita (a temple) to show His son, and
let the people experience her love, compassion, help and defense.
A place where she could hear their laments, remedy their misery, and relieve
their sorrow and pain.
She asked Juan to go tell
the elected Bishop, Franciscan Juan de Zumarraga, about her request.
Juan Diego went but the Bishop did not believe him and instead thought
that Juan Diego had suffered some kind of hallucination.
Juan Diego forgot the event.
The next day he passed by the same area on the road, and the Virgin was
there again, asking him to take her message to the Bishop. This happened
four times until the Bishop finally asked Juan Diego to bring him a sign
or some proof that what he spoke of was true. When Juan returned
to the Virgin she agreed to provide the sign, and told Juan to "Go home
and come back tomorrow, I will give you the sign you need."
When he arrived home his
Uncle Juan Bernardino was very sick and Juan tried to help him. The
only way Juan Diego could help him was to go to Tlatelolco the next day,
December 12, to look for a priest who could come to help his uncle spiritually.
Juan Diego thought that if he went the same way to Tlatelolco he normally
used, the Virgin would stop him, so he changed his route and took a different
road.
The Virgin appeared to him
again to tell him that his uncle had been healed; then she requested that
he climb the hill to cut some flowers and to bring them back. |
