The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

On May 6, 1990, Juan Diego was canonized by Pope John Paul II at the Basilica of Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Mexico City. The cloak imprinted with the miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary received by Juan Diego is still preserved there today. With native features and dress, Mary is portrayed with the moon at her feet, her mantle covered with stars, and an angel supports her. She is also pregnant, as demonstrated by the black girdle around her waist; a picture of how Christ’s gospel is born among the people of the New World.

This image is also depicted in the Chapel of Our Guadalupe in the Basilica. Here, Mary is surrounded by the people of the North, Central, and South Americas, carrying lighted candles in procession. The walls of the chapel are curved to imitate the experience of the apparition.