Our Lady of Guadalupe

The original painting at the Mexico City Cathedral.

All Mexicans rejoice today as they celebrate the feast close to their heart, the apparition of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image of Mary was imprinted miraculously on Juan’s tilma (coat) and remains in the Cathedral at Mexico City admired, and respected by millions of Mexicans and Catholics everywhere. In 1977, the tilma was examined using infrared photography and digital enhancement techniques. Unlike any painting, the tilma shows no sketching or any sign of outline drawn to permit an artist to produce a painting. Further, the very method used to create the image is still unknown. The image is inexplicable in its longevity and method of production. It can be seen today in a large cathedral built to house up to ten thousand worshipers. It is, by far, the most popular religious pilgrimage site in the Western Hemisphere.