Why pilgrims come
Understand the Marian devotion rooted in Mexico City
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands at Tepeyac, where Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531. The modern circular basilica enshrines his tilma above the main altar, while the wider precinct preserves older churches and chapels connected to Mexico’s national Marian devotion.
The Guadalupe sanctuary is an entire sacred precinct at Tepeyac. The indispensable moment is viewing St. Juan Diego’s tilma above the main altar, but pilgrims should also climb Tepeyac Hill and visit the older churches and chapels across the grounds.
The sacred connection
People and objects remembered here
These relationships are part of the destination record, with feast days and catalog qualifications shown where available.
apparition visionary
Feast: December 9Marian image and contact relic · Publicly venerated by the Catholic Church
View from the basilica nave and the moving walkways beneath the image.What to notice
Look closely at the place and its story
The tilma of St. Juan Diego
View the sacred image displayed above the main altar of the New Basilica.
Chapel of the Hill
Ascend Tepeyac to the traditional place associated with the apparitions and roses.
Old Basilica
Visit the baroque former home of the image, now the Expiatory Temple of Christ the King.
Chapel of the Indians
See one of the oldest sanctuary churches, associated with the earliest hermitage and St. Juan Diego.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations
Apparition timeline
4 recorded apparition dates
First apparition at Tepeyac
Second apparition
Third apparition
The roses and image on the tilma
How to read this page
Sources, tradition, and what is verified
The destination record was last checked on 9/15/2026.
This page records the site’s tradition as “Catholic.” That wording describes the nature of the claim and keeps devotional tradition distinct from independently verified history.