On December 12, faithful Catholics go on a pilgrimage to Mexico to celebrate the Feast of the Lady of Guadalupe (also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe).

In Spanish, she is called the "Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe" or the "Virgen de Guadalupe".

The Lady of Guadalupe was first known to have appeared on December 12, 1531 in the Tepeyac desert near Mexico City.

According to historical accounts, the Virgin Mary showed a vision of herself to an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego and instructed him to build a church in her honor. Afterward, he told a local bishop named Fray Juan de Zumárraga who asked Diego for proof of the miraculous apparition.

Diego then told this to the Virgin Mary, who appeared at the same hill in Tepeyac where he first saw her. Although it was winter at the time, she told him to go pick some roses from the top of the hill.

Diego found Castillian roses in bloom and picked some to show to Zumárraga. Upon opening the poncho to show the bishop, an image of the Virgin Mary imprinted on the cloak appeared in place of the roses.

Miguel Sánchez, known for writing the first historical account of the apparition in the "Imagen de la Virgen María", referred to the Virgin Mary as the "Woman of the Apocalypse." The Woman of the Apocalypse is a character in Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, described as "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

Apart from her role in Catholicism, it is said that the Lady of Guadalupe's popularity also stems from her importance to the indigenous people living in Mexico. To them, she is known as the source of "pulque".

Pulque, made from the agave plant (whose ancient name is metl), is an alcoholic beverage native to Mexico which is said to have existed for at least a thousand years. In mythology, pulque has been connected with different ancient Aztec deities such as Mayahuel and Centzon Totochtin.

Now venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe where her icon is enshrined, the Lady of Guadalupe is the most popular religious symbol in Mexico. Her shrine regularly receives some of the most number of pilgrims in the world.

Mexico