The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe
by Elizabeth Avalos, BVM
Many of us know the story of Guadalupe. It is a story told over and over again among the Mexican people and cherished by those of us from the other countries in Latin and North America.
Juan Diego, known to his family as “one who speaks like an eagle,” was on his way to visit his sick uncle. As he walked up Mt. Tepeyac, he saw a pregnant young woman on the hillside. He walked toward her.
“Do not be afraid,” she said. “Am I not your mother?”
What was different about this appearance of Mary is that she looked like Juan Diego’s people.
She was brown-skinned, wearing brightly colored clothing like what was worn by the women of his Aztec community. She was not at all like the church statues of Mary that were light-skinned and wearing a blue robe with blonde hair. She has sometimes been likened to Tonantzin, an Aztec warrior goddess.
The woman commissioned Juan Diego to go talk to the bishop and ask him to build a chapel on Tepeyac in her honor.
We know how the first meeting went. The economic caste system was healthy and thriving in Mexico, so a peasant trying to get a meeting with the bishop was unheard of.
There were no cameras or cell phones in Juan Diego’s time to show proof of what he had seen. Yet, the bishop finally believed when he saw the roses that were gathered in the winter and Guadalupe’s miraculous image on Juan Diego’s cloak.
Guadalupe’s Presence Today
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), who visited Juan Diego in 1531, is still alive and well today among the Mexican people. Her picture can be seen throughout Mexico in homes, business, community centers, and at community gatherings, and the tradition is carried on beyond the Mexican border.
If you go into the home or business of Latins in East Los Angeles or East San Jose, in Chicago or Phoenix, you will see a picture of Guadalupe. She has a great bond and spirit of protection for the Mexican people, and for people throughout Latin and North America.
She is known as the patroness of the Americas, and some believe that the rendition of Guadalupe is how Mary wishes to be known.
Protector and Guide
Apparitions have also been recorded of Nuestra Señora appearing to migrants walking north.
Some have said that they have seen Nuestra Señora walking with them, protecting them on their journey. Others said they have seen her distracting the border guards so that the migrants can get by and continue on their journey.
A banner with Nuestra Señora was carried by Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers as they organized for better wages. Guadalupe’s picture is often carried in marches today.
On this feast day, let us remember the many immigrants who are here, who are living in fear of being deported. We ask that our Lady of Guadalupe continue to be with them, to protect them, and to let them know that they are not alone, that she, who many thought to be the warrior goddess, is with them during these days of turmoil and hard times.