Tepeyac Hill
A place in the history of the Church
A hill north of Mexico City, where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego.
What happened here
- The apparition: on December 9, 1531, on his way to Mass, Juan Diego was passing by Tepeyac Hill. There the Virgin Mary appeared to him.
- The roses: the Virgin asked him for a church and gave him roses in the middle of winter as a sign for the bishop. When he opened his tilma before the bishop, the image of the Virgin appeared on it.
- His home: at the end of his life, Juan Diego lived in a poor little house next to the church at Tepeyac.
Today
At the foot of the hill stands the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, about three miles from the center of Mexico City.
Source: Nican Mopohua; vatican.va, biography of St. Juan Diego (2002); Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Shrine of Guadalupe”