The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Wednesday we took a taxi to the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where in 1531, Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary appeared to an indian peasant, Juan Diego. An image of the Virgin Mary appeared miraculously on the cloak of Juan Diego, and this cloak is found behind the altar of the Basilica. Over the hundreds of years since the original apparition, a whole series of churches have been built; I will not attempt to list them all. The new Basilica was built in the 1970s, and holds 10,000 people. The site is reported to receive 8 million pilgrims per year, many of whom arrive on December 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

When we arrived, the Bishop of Orizaba Veracruz was preaching outside to a group of pilgrims from Veracruz, many of whom were indigenous, including dancers in indigenous clothing and women dressed in colorful blouses. We strolled around the grounds, entering the various churches, and seeing the impressive group of statues depicting indians worshiping the virgin.

When we returned to the main Basilica, we found a mass in progress, with many priests on the altar, and the church full of people. After mass, I asked in Spanish one of the indian ladies, in her colorful blouse, about their group. She looked at me like she had no idea what I was saying. Luckily a young man nearby explained to me that many of the women don't speak Spanish very often, and speak Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. He explained that they were part of a group of ten busloads of pilgrims from Veracruz who had come to the Basilica on pilgrimage. The priests on the altar were also from Veracruz. There were a number of banners representing the various groups who were participating in the pilgrimage.

Later we saw another group of pilgrims, from Monterrey, Matachine dancers. This group was as light skinned as the indians from Veracruz were dark skinned, and appeared to be upper class Mexicans. People come to the Basilica from all parts of Mexico and beyond, from all ethnic groups and all economic classes.