It is dawn on Saturday, December 9, 1531, and Juan Diego walks towards Tlatelolco for his weekly catechism lessons. Suddenly he heard birds singing at the top of the small hill, he looks around trying to find out where that heavenly singing is coming from. The singing suddenly stops and he hears a voice coming from up the hill saying: “Juanito, Juan Diegouto!” Happily and calmly he goes up the hill where he heard the voice to find out who calls his name. Once he reaches the top he comes to face with a noble, beautiful lady. She asks him to come closer. Once he approaches her, he is astonished to see her admirable perfection and presence, her dress bright like the sun, the rocks looked like precious jewels and the branches of the trees seemed to be made of gold.

 

The Holy Virgin asks where he is headed and he replies that he is going to the Tlatelolco Temple to learn the teachings of God. At that moment, the Virgin introduces herself and advises him, “Learn, and be certain my son, the smallest of all, that I am the truly and ever perfect Holy Virgin Mary, that I have the honor and pleasure of being the Mother of the True God for whom we live, the Creator of the people, the owner of the closeness and the mediation, the Master of Heaven and Earth. I truly want and truly wish that you build my holy house here, wherein I will live forever, I will praise beyond doubt, I will deliver it to the people in form of all my personal love, to Him that is my great God, the Bishop of Him that is my support, to Him that is my salvation. I am your compassionate Mother, yours and all men, those who call my name, those who honor me and seek me, those who trust in me, I will truly listen to their weeping and sadness and will remedy and heal their different sorrows, miseries and pains.”

 

She then sends him to see Bishop to deliver him her message, to tell him everything he has heard and seen. She asks him to do his best effort and promises to glorify him.

 

Juan Diego promises her to do what she is asking him to do. He goes to the Bishop and after a lengthy wait, is greeted by the Bishop, Juan Diego then tells him everything he saw and heard from the heavenly Lady, that the Bishop does not believe him. He leaves sad and he goes returns to the same place where he saw her in the morning much his surprise, he sees the sagan. She was waiting for him. He then proceeds to tell her everything about his conversation with the Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga. Juan Diego asks the Lady to send someone else with more authority than him to speak with the Bishop, The Holy Virgin tells him that he must go again the following day again to see the Bishop and let him know that it is She who is sending him and that she wants a temple to be built for her on that very same hill.

 

Juan Diego does not refuse her anymore and promises her that he will go the following day and bring her the Bishop's answer. On Sunday he goes again to Ylatelco co as She requested and after the Bishop listening to him (of more, the Bishop ask for a sign from the Lady, As Juan Diego'suncle became ill the following day he decided to another road to avoid the Lady but the appeared to him anyway and asked where he was going. Juan Diego replied to her that he was going to find a Priest since hisuncle was ill. She then told him not to be afraid and hisuncle's illness, then these beautiful words came out of her mouth: AM I NOT HERE THAT I HAVE THE HONOR AND THE PLEASURE OF BEING YOUR MOTHER, AREN'T YOU UNDER MY SHADOW (JUELTER, AND PROTECT, AND PROTECT), AM I LOOT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUR HAPPINESS AND ARE YOU NOT UNDER THE SHELTER OF MY SHALL, ON MY ARMS (PROTECTION, DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD NEED OF SOMETHING ELSE MORE THAN THIS.

 

Juan Diego immediately became calm and he replied that he would do anything she would order and command of him. The Queen of Heaven ordered him to go up the hill and cut some flowers that were there and bring them but to her. He went up the hill and cut the flowers, he took them to the Holy Virgin who then extended her hands to touched them and ordered him to take them to the Bishop. When Juan Diego was in the presence of the Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga, he opened the tilma (poncho) with the flowers and at that very moment the Holy Image (picture) was illustrated on Juan Diego's tilma.

 

The Holy Virgin Mary was surrounded by solar rays, her feet were posing over a black half moon, her right foot can be seen wearing a small pink shoe, her tunic was a salmon color with multiple of arabesque designs, that seemed to be floating when the image is seen closer. Her shawl is blue-green and the constellations that were in the sky on December 12, 1531 appeared stamped all over the shawl. Her hands were crossed as if she was praying, and one of the hands was whiter than the other, representing two united nations, the Mexican and the Spanish. The belt over her waist indicates that she is pregnant. The angel, located under her feet, forms his right hand into the symbol of reaven, a symbol with his left hand. He holds his tunic representing the earth. The total image of Our Holy Lady of Guadalupe is a codice (signs) that the natives accepted and interpreted the message spreading in from mouth to mouth converting it in catechism for them transmitting the same about nine millions of native Indians were baptized by the missionaries.

 

Inspired on Nican Mophona. (Narrative here). Antonio Valeriano 1540-1548

 

The Holy Father Juan Pablo II canonized Juan Diego Cuauhaltotzín on July 31, 2002 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico