{"id":"our-lady-guadalupe","name":"Our Lady of Guadalupe","title":"Queen of the Americas","knownFor":"Marian Apparition, Evangelization of the Americas","feastDay":"December 12","lifespan":"Apparition in 1531","patronOf":"The Americas, Mexico, The Unborn","shortBio":"The Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531, leaving her miraculous image on his tilma. This apparition led to the conversion of millions and became the most powerful religious symbol of the Americas.","fullBio":"In December 1531, just ten years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous convert, on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City. Speaking in his native Nahuatl, she requested a church be built on the site.\n\nThe bishop initially doubted Juan Diego's account and requested a sign. On December 12, the Virgin sent Juan Diego to gather roses from the barren hilltop. When he opened his tilma (cloak) before the bishop, the roses fell out, revealing the miraculous image of Our Lady imprinted on the fabric.\n\nThe image is a theological and cultural masterpiece, blending Christian and Aztec symbolism. She appears as a mestiza (mixed race), standing on the moon (conquering Aztec moon god), surrounded by the sun (greater than sun god), with stars matching the constellation of December 12, 1531.\n\nThe tilma, made of cactus fiber that should deteriorate within 30 years, has survived nearly 500 years. Scientific studies find no explanation for the image's properties. Within seven years of the apparition, nine million indigenous people converted to Christianity.","miracles":["Miraculous image appeared on Juan Diego's tilma","Tilma has survived 500 years despite fragile material","Image has no brush strokes or undersketch","Eyes reflect multiple figures with properties of human eyes","Survived acid spill and bomb explosion unharmed","Stars on mantle match constellation of December 12, 1531"],"imageUrl":"https://page.gensparksite.com/v1/base64_upload/57d7dfe4deddfa9a1400ea88918d1f62","imageAttribution":"Our Lady of Guadalupe. Miraculously imprinted on the tilma of St. Juan Diego (1531). Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, Mexico. Pigment on cactus fiber cloth (tilma)","orderByDate":1531}