Wednesday, December 12 is one of the most revered days in Mexico’s religious calendar.
The day honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, the dark-skinned Virgin who appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous peasant, in 1531 and who was named the “Patroness and Protectress of New Spain” by a papal bull of 1754. The story goes that the Virgin left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on Juan Diego’s tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth which is housed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where the most expansive celebrations will be held on Wednesday. In Guadalajara, celebrations begin around the crack of dawn outside the Santuario de Guadalupe on Avenida Alcalde, across from the Federal Palace. Towns and villages throughout Mexico, including Ajijic (see photo below), will also honor the Virgin of Guadalupe in their own special ways.