The First Apparition

The first apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe took place on December 9, 1531 at Tepeyac Hill, on the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. It was the morning of Saturday, just days after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a humble indigenous man from the Tlatelolco region, was walking to attend catechism classes.

As he approached the hill, he heard a beautiful, melodic song — described as surpassing the songs of the most precious birds — which seemed to come from the hilltop itself The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. When the song stopped, a voice called his name: “Juan, dearest Juan Diego.” He climbed to the top and saw a glowing figure of a young woman standing there.

The Virgin identified herself as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity, telling Juan Diego to tell the bishop, Juan de Zumárraga, that she wished for a church to be built there in her honor.