1. Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12

2. Background Information Missionaries who first came to Mexico had little success in converting the Native peoples to Christianity. After nearly a generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the Christian faith. This was not significant in the scope of the population.

3. For a variety of reasons, the Christian faith didn’t seem to appeal to the Natives. This may have been simply because they did not understand the missionaries ideas or because they resented the people who made them slaves. In short, Christianity was not popular. This all changed in 1531 when miracles began occurring. Our lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego. The signs convinced the people that Christianity might be worth looking in to.

4. Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians. We now honor this on December 12 of every year We do so to appreciate her appearance To remember the day And to use the example of the Natives who took a leap of faith into Christianity so that others may learn from them and do the same

5. Signs & Symbols The piece of art Imagen de la Virgen María portrays her as a women of the apocalypse from Revelation 12:1. She is shown as being "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." The crown however is not visible due to the frame for the canvas; it was designed to not leave any room above her head.

6. Her belt is a symbol of pregnancy. Beneath her sash, a cross-shaped image symbolizes the cosmos. She is known as the "Mother of maguey," a plant used in the drink. The rays of light around her are said to represent maguey spines.

7. The Celebration The festival of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe actually begins a week before December 12. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the country—many traveling for a week on foot or by burro—flock to the Basilica de Ville Madero, on the outskirts of Mexico City, where the most impressive ceremonies in honor of the Virgin are held. The streets adjoining the church are literally packed with people who wait their turn to enter the church and make their offering.

8. The climax of the festival begins on the eve of December 12, when the conchero dancers gather in the atrium of the church. The dancing begins at midnight and lasts throughout the day. Groups of dancers alternate to keep up the furious pace. Since it is a happy day for all Mexicans, food and drink are enjoyed by rich and poor alike, and many people will save up their money throughout the year for this special occasion.

9. Scientific Evidence Before concluding his presentation, Dr. Orozco made mention of two miracles associated with the Tilma. The first occurred in 1785 when a worker accidentally spilled a 50 percent nitric acid solvent on the right side of the cloth. “Besides any natural explanation, the acid has not destroyed the fabric of the cloth, indeed it has not even destroyed the colored parts of the image,” Orozco said.

10. The second miracle was the explosion of a bomb near the Tilma in 1921. Dr. Orozco recalled that the explosion broke the marble floor and widows 150 meters from the explosion, but “unexpectedly, neither the Tilma nor the normal glass that protected the Tilma was damaged or broken.” The only damage near it was a brass crucifix that was twisted by the blast.

11. He continued, “There are no explanations why the shockwave that broke windows 150 meters afar did not destroy the normal glass that protected the image. Some people said that the Son by means of the brass crucifix protected the image of His Mother. The real fact is that we don’t have a natural explanation for this event.”

12. Mary's pupils on the tilma respond to light; they dilate when it is dark and constrict when there is light shined into them. Also, the pigments that make up Mary's face on the tilma are created from pigments "not of this world."