December 12 is the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12 is the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and honors the patron saint of Mexico and the Mother of all America. The origin of this celebration dates back to the year 1531, when the Virgin Mary appeared to an indigenous man named Juan Diego, on Mount Tepeyac, near present-day Mexico City. During the apparitions, the Virgin asked that a church be built in her name. To prove the veracity of her apparitions, Juan Diego presented the bishop with an image of the Virgin that had been imprinted on his tilma (cloak) after one of the apparitions. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered a symbol of faith and unity between the indigenous peoples and the Spanish colonizers, representing the blending of cultures. In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patron saint of the Americas.
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