“Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke this phrase in native Aztec Nahuatl language on the 12th of December 1531 as she had appeared for the fourth time to Saint Juan Diego, a 57-year old Mexican peasant and Catholic convert. It was also on that day that Our Lady instructed Juan Diego to climb to the top of the Tepeyac Hill and gather flowers. There he miraculously found Castillan roses, not native to Mexico, blooming in the middle of a cold December. Our Lady arranged the flowers herself in Juan Diego’s cactus cloak called tilma. At that point, Juan Diego needed a sign for the Bishop who did not initially believe his account that the Blessed Mother had appeared to him and had asked that a temple be built on the site. At the Bishop’s residence, Juan Diego opened his tilma as the flowers fell to the floor. To everyone’s astonishment, the poor peasant’s tilma was imprinted with an image of the Virgin and came to be known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, “Santa Maria, de Guadalupe.” The Bishop, obeying Our Lady’s request, built a Church at the apparition site. In the following years, millions of natives converted to the Catholic faith, closing an era in Mexico when they believed in false gods and did human sacrifice.
Photo credit: Gestor Noticias
Great stories of conversions and miracles continue to happen up to the present through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Millions of pilgrims flock each year to see and pray in the presence of the tilma bearing the image of the “Perfect Virgin.” The humble tilma and its image are just as miraculous and here are some facts that illustrate its amazing features:
1. The tilma has outlived in time and in quality any of the replica paintings made.
A tilma, primarily made of cactus fibers, is rough and of very poor quality, making it nearly impossible to retain an image painted on it. But the Guadalupe tilma continues to be preserved and the colors of the image never seem to fade compared to the painted copies of it. One copy in particular, made in 1789 using the best possible painting technique at the time, was encased in glass and placed beside the original tilma. Eight years later, the copy eventually faded. In comparison, the miraculous image was previously exposed and venerated for more than a hundred years without protective covering but remained the same in quality.
2. Humanly impossible: The tilma exhibit qualities that cannot be exactly replicated.
Scientists who had studied the tilma noted that the surface of the image was silk to the touch while the unused parts were rough as expected of a cactus cloak. Experts in infrared photography also noted in the 1970s that up close, no brush strokes could be seen on the cloth as if the whole image was instantly slapped onto the tilma’s surface. The coloration of the image was also without any animal or mineral elements, and could not have been painted using synthetic colorings as they didn’t exist in the year 1531. An 18th century painter, Miguel Cabrera, known to have produced three of the best copies of the image admitted that it was so difficult and one would not succeed to do a reproduction in the same circumstances of the original tilma. The technique used on the image was not possible to achieve by human hands, as concluded by a biophysicist.
3. Practically Unbreakable
Despite two separate happenings which threatened the tilma, it remained practically unbreakable. In 1785, a cleaner accidentally spilled nitric acid solvent onto the image, but it appeared to self-restore within a month and did not show signs of deterioration. The other event was in 1921 when an activist bombed the image by hiding 29 dynamites in the pot of roses underneath it. The explosion damaged a Crucifix, the altar rail and windows but the tilma in its glass encasing remained undamaged.
4. The Image of the Madonna
The biophysicist who had studied the tilma also found out that it registers a constant temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), same as that of a living human. There were also findings in the eyes of the Virgin when the image was magnified by 2,500 times. It was reported that images of people such as Juan Diego, the Bishop, and others could be seen reflected in the eyes of the Blessed Mother. It is believed to be the very moment when Saint Juan Diego unfolded the cloak before their Bishop.
Photo credit: Infallible Catholic
5. “An Aztech Pictograph”
Not only did Our Lady spoke to Juan Diego in his native tongue. The image imprinted on the tilma was also surprisingly very familiar and understandable to the Aztec Indians in those days. Our Lady made use of the image with precise symbolism. Our Blessed Mother was in front of the sun’s rays and standing on the crescent moon, conquering the people’s false gods. Her hands are joined in prayer and pointing to the Cross brooch on her clothing which shows that she is a humble servant of the Lord. She is a Queen clothed in a blue green mantle, the color of royalty. She is a Virgin with a child in her womb, shown by the high placement of the Aztec maternity black belt or ribbon around her waist and a four-petal flower symbol. Lastly, Our Lady’s mantle has stars in it that depicted the constellations which appeared on the night sky on her apparition day.
When I was a child, I first saw the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexican telenovelas, where the characters always prayed to. (Looking back, I say that it’s improper to use it there because those programs didn’t have modesty whatsoever). I remember that it’s the first religious image that I ever asked my parents to buy for me, when we’re in the National Shrine of Divine Mercy. So growing up, it was on my bedroom wall. As a kid, I bought a book all about the Our Lady of Guadalupe. I didn’t read it though, until 5 years ago. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Apparitions amazed me so much. And those supernatural and miraculous facts above, I reflect, are proofs that to call yourself a “Christian,” you must love Our Blessed Mother. They are proofs as well that Catholicism is the only religion. And they are also proofs that God exists, and that Jesus is the True God. Now, Our Lady of Guadalupe deepens my love for the Mother of God and for the Catholic life. You don’t need to be from Mexico for you to appreciate, and share the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us that we have our very own Mother in Heaven who is loving us, praying for us, and taking care of us, amidst our gravest sufferings, pains, and sorrows.
“Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” These words of Our Lady to Saint Juan Diego is inscribed in Spanish over the main entrance of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City- “¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu Madre?” Together with this phrase, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe serves as a reminder, inspiration and consolation to all Catholics of the love, compassion and protection of the Most Holy Virgin Mary.
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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Beautifully written article on the Blessed Mother! Thank you.