Our Lady of Guadalupe

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Mother and protector of the Americas, the starry-mantled Virgin of Tepeyac

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) is a title of the Virgin Mary in Catholic Christianity, venerated in Mexico and across the Americas. Catholic tradition tells that in December 1531, on Tepeyac hill near Mexico City, she appeared to Juan Diego, an Indigenous man, and asked for a church to be built there. When the bishop asked for a sign, Juan Diego gathered roses blooming out of season in his tilma, and her image appeared on the cloth.

Devotees honour her as mother and protector of the peoples of the Americas. They call her Patroness of the Americas, Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas, and many name her la Morenita for her dark complexion. The tilma hangs above the main altar of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Shop Our Lady of Guadalupe See the gallery

How to recognise Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mestiza faceA young woman with dark hair, a brown complexion and gently downcast eyes, which devotees honour as the mestiza face of the Virgin.
Starry mantleA blue-green mantle edged in gold and strewn with gold stars covers her head and falls to her feet.
Rose robeA full-length rose-pink robe patterned with gold flowers.
Praying handsHer hands are joined in prayer before her chest.
SunburstGolden rays of sunlight surround her whole figure.
Crescent moonShe stands on a dark crescent moon with its horns pointing up.
Small angelBelow the moon, an angel with spread arms and eagle-like wings holds the hem of her mantle in one hand and her robe in the other.

Names and titles

Empress of the AmericasTitle given by Pope Pius XII in 1945
Queen of MexicoHer title as patroness of Mexico
Patroness of the AmericasProclaimed patroness of all America by John Paul II (Ecclesia in America, 1999)
The Lady of TepeyacThe hill near Mexico City where she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531
Roses in the TilmaJuan Diego carried out-of-season roses in his cloak; when he opened it, her image appeared

Feast days

Our Lady of Guadalupe12 December, every year

In art and place public-domain and openly licensed images

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe: hands joined in prayer, blue starry mantle, sunburst rays, crescent moon and angel beneath.Wikimedia Commons (public domain)