Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – December 12, 2026

History of Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is a story of miracles and faith that marks an important shift in the history of Mexico. The Spaniards, after they conquered Mexico, wanted to convert the indigenous Indians to Catholicism. But the Spaniards encountered many difficulties because the Mexican had their own faith and spirituality in which they strongly believed. However, indigenous people started to become fascinated with Catholicism when the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Juan Diego came to the fore. 

Juan Diego was a young indigenous Indian who was walking toward the Hill of Tepeyac on December 12, 1531, when he was stopped by an appearance of the Virgin Mary. According to Diego, the Virgin Mary was a young woman with black hair and dark skin who looked more like the women in his community. She ordered Diego to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a church at the Hill of Tepeyac. Diego then ran to the Bishop to tell him what the Virgin Mary had told him. The Bishop did not believe Diego at first and disregarded his request to build a church at the Hill of Tepeyac. 

The Virgin Mary appeared in front of Diego again and told him to collect flowers from the top of the hill. Since it was December, Diego knew that there would not be any flowers at the rocky hill. Upon reaching the top of the hill, he was surprised to see that it was covered in beautiful, colorful flowers! He remembered what he was asked to do and collected the flowers in his coat. With the flowers in hand, he went to see the Bishop again. Diego gave the coat full of flowers to the Bishop, and here the Bishop discovered the image of the Virgin Mary was miraculously traced on the coat. Seeing both the unseasonal flowers and the image of the Virgin, the Bishop realized Diego had told him the truth. The Bishop commanded that the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe be built on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico City.