The life of Saint Juan Diego, a humble native of Mexico, is marked by an extraordinary event that had a significant impact on the religious and cultural history of Latin America. Born in 1474 in the village of Cuauhtitlán, near Mexico City, Juan Diego grew up in a context where indigenous beliefs mingled with the burgeoning influence of Christianity.
Around the age of 50, Juan Diego experienced an extraordinary moment that would change his life and the lives of millions of people. On 9 December 1531, on his way to church to attend mass, Juan Diego saw a dazzling vision of the Virgin Mary on Mount Tepeyac. She asked him to go to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga and ask him to build a church in her honour there.
Juan Diego humbly obeyed the Virgin's request, but the bishop was sceptical. He asked her for proof of the veracity of his vision. The Virgin appeared to Juan Diego a second time and asked him to pick roses in an unusual spot on the rocky hill of Tepeyac. Juan Diego miraculously found roses in full bloom, gathered them in his tilma (cloak) and brought them to the bishop.
When Juan Diego unfolded his tilma before the bishop to present the roses, a stunning image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was printed on the fabric. This miracle, known as the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was seen as a divine sign confirming the Virgin Mary's request to erect a church in her honour.
News of this miracle spread quickly, and many people came to venerate the miraculous image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The church requested by the Virgin Mary was built on the site of the apparition, becoming a major place of pilgrimage, not only for Mexicans, but for millions of Catholics from all over the world.
Juan Diego, despite his central role in this extraordinary event, remained humble and modest until the end of his life. He lived the last years of his life near the shrine of Guadalupe, where he served as a guardian and spiritual guide for pilgrims. He died on 9 December 1548, almost seventeen years after the apparition of the Virgin.
The cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with the miraculous image preserved on Juan Diego's tilma, has become a powerful symbol of the Catholic faith in Latin America. The canonisation of Juan Diego in 2002 by Pope John Paul II formalised his recognition as a saint of the Catholic Church, honouring his humble but crucial role in the religious history of this region. Today, the figure of Saint Juan Diego and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to inspire millions of believers, symbolising the importance of faith, humility and the encounter between indigenous spirituality and the Christian message.
