1. La Virgen de Guadalupe/ Our Lady of Guadalupe

2. The Aztecs The Aztecs ruled most of Central America in 1500 Empire was known as Mesoamerica; extended from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean Moctezuma was King of the Aztecs in 1503 and ruled from the capital Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco, known as modern Mexico City Tenochtitlan was the center of religious worship Inhabitants were called Mexica

3. The Aztecs Moctezuma demanded tribute from surrounding tribes Mexica believed gods required human blood to subsist, so priests sacrificed thousands of humans from surrounding tribes every year

4. The Aztecs Quetzalcoatl ◦ Aztec god ◦ Stone serpent ◦ Founded Aztec nation ◦ Left when human sacrifices began ◦ Vowed to return in the year 1-Reed (every 52 years in Aztec time cycle)

5. The Aztecs Tonantzin ◦ Aztec goddess ◦ The mother god ◦ Depicted as a terrifying figure ◦ Head comprised of snakes, her garment of serpents, her eyes fathomless grief ◦ Worshipped at a stone temple in Tepeyac, within a few miles of Tenochtitlan

6. The Aztecs Princess Papantzin ◦ Moctezuma’s sister ◦ Lapsed into a coma in 1509 ◦ Dreamt of a luminous being with a black cross on his forehead leading her to a shore with large ships that would come to conquer the Aztecs and bring them their true god ◦ 10 years later, Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Mexico (same year Quetzalcoatl could return)

7. Hernando Cortez and the Conquistadors Glory, God, Gold Landed on Good Friday, April 22, 1519 Named landing site Veracruz, “The True Cross” Father Bartolome de Olmedo performed Mass on Easter Sunday Built a fort, sent a ship back to Spain and burned rest of ships determined to conquer the land

8. Hernando Cortez and the Conquistadors Cortes won surrounding tribes who resented the tribute to the Aztecs As Cortes continued on his expedition, evidence of human sacrifice was everywhere He became determined to stop the sacrifices

9. Hernando Cortez and the Conquistadors Moctezuma planned to trap Cortes, but Spaniards overwhelmed the Mexia Moctezuma recalled his sister’s dream and realized the Spaniards’ helmets adorned black crosses He believed Cortes was Queztalcoatl and refused to attack him

10. Hernando Cortez and the Conquistadors Cortes asked Moctezuma to stop human sacrifices Moctezuma refused to comply Cortes climbed the stairs of the main temple, removed the Aztec gods and placed a cross and an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary War ensued and the Spaniards were victorious

11. Catholicism in Mexico Cortes demolished the sacrificial temples and built Catholic churches in their place Cortes called for missionaries to convert the native Indians Franciscan Peter Ghent arrived from Belgium, became known as Fray Pedro de Gante and earned the trust of the natives who listened to the Christian message

12. Catholicism in Mexico Resistance to Christianity on behalf of the natives became a problem for missionaries Natives associated Christianity with the deaths of thousands of Indians and the destruction of Tenochtitlan In 1528 Charles V of Spain sent a group of administrators known as the First Audience

13. Catholicism in Mexico Leader of the First Audience was cruel to the native population Forced them to abandon their villages or be reduced to slavery Charles V then appointed Fray Juan Zumarraga as the 1 st Bishop of Mexico City in December of 1528

14. Catholicism in Mexico The Bishop spent most of his first year objecting to the treatment of the Indians by the First Audience The First Audience applied strict censorship which forbade complaints from the Indians and the Spaniards The Bishop sent a message to Spain and the First Audience was recalled and replaced with the Second Audience By this time the Native population was fed up with the Spaniards and their religion

15. Tepeyac Aztec Indian Cuauhtlatoatzin is born in 1474 Baptized and given name Juan Diego Juan Diego became a widower and turned life to God He attended mass and catechism lessons in Tlatelolco

16. Tepeyac At daybreak, on Saturday, December 9, 1531, Juan Diego begins journey to church Passes a hill named Tepeyac which was once the site of a temple to the Aztec mother god, Tonantzin Juan Diego hears songbirds which forebode something divine to the Aztecs

17. Tepeyac A beautiful girl with tan complexion calls him by name in his native language She says, “Dear little son, I love you. I want you to know who I am.” "I am the Virgin Mary, Mother of the one true God, of Him who gives life. He is Lord and Creator of heaven and of earth. I desire that there be built a temple at this place where I want to manifest Him, make him known, give Him to all people through my love, my compassion, my help, and my protection. I truly am your merciful Mother, your Mother and the Mother of all who dwell in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, and of those who seek and place their trust in me. Here I shall listen to their weeping and their sorrows. I shall take them all to my heart, and I shall cure their many sufferings, afflictions, and sorrows. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Lord Bishop all that you have seen and heard.”

18. Tepeyac Juan Diego goes to the Bishop who asks him to visit again Juan Diego returns to Tepeyac and asks Mary to send someone else with the message She says that Juan Diego is the chosen one and must return to the Bishop and relay her message “Tell him it is the ever holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God who sends you, and repeat to him my great desire for a church in this place.”

19. Tepeyac Juan Diego returns to see the Bishop on Sunday morning, December 10 The Bishop asks for a sign Juan Diego relays the message to the Virgin Mary She asks him to return the next day Upon arriving home that day, Juan Diego finds his uncle to be gravely ill He does not go to see Mary on Monday

20. Tepeyac Juan Diego sets out on December 12 th to bring a priest from the Church of Santiago at Tlatelolco to provide the last blessing for his uncle Tepeyac is on the way to the church, but to avoid Mary, Juan Diego changed his route She appears to him on the changed route

21. Tepeyac Juan Diego apologizes for not returning, and She tells him that his uncle has been healed She asks him to go to the top of the hill and cut the flowers and bring them to her Juan Diego finds Castilian roses and takes them to the Virgin, who arranges them in his tilma

22. Tepeyac Juan Diego returned to see the Bishop with the roses in his tilma He told the Bishop about the miracle healing of his uncle When he dropped the roses in front of the Bishop, the image of the Virgin Mary, as he described her, appeared on his tilma The Virgin Mary appeared to his uncle and told him he would get better.

23. The Impact Imprint on the tilma impacted native population Virgin Mary appeared as an Indian and spoke the Aztec language She appeared at Tepeyac, site of the destroyed Aztec temple of Tonantzin 1531-1538 eight million natives converted to Catholicism

24. The Image on the Tilma