Across the Americas, millions of people celebrate the Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival every year around December 12th. This Catholic event, also called a "feast," unites diverse populations as they pray and eat together in celebration of Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. The festival is a testament to the enduring significance of the Virgin Mother Mary in Latinx culture.

What Is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a celebration that marks the first appearance of a vision of the Virgin Mary in the Americas. In 1531, an indigenous Mexican peasant, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, witnessed a brown-skinned apparition of the Virgin Mother appear to him on a hilltop outside of what is now present-day Mexico City. La Virgen, as she's called in Spanish, asked Juan Diego to build a church dedicated to her. 492 years later, Latinx Catholics commemorate this event with prayers, dances, pilgrimages, and grand feasts.

How Do People Observe This Religious Day?

The festivities surrounding the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe differ from one community to another, but Mexico City sees the largest crowds gather on the day. The Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City is one of the most visited religious places in the world. This year, the government of Mexico estimated that around five million people congregated on the Basilica's massive cement patio to observe the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival, some even camping for one to two days for the event to be in place for the traditional singing of las mañanitas at midnight.

In the United States, cities with large Mexican and Latinx populations such as Miami and Los Angeles see unique festivities that offer a mix of religious and cultural activities. For example, large groups gather to pray the Rosary and later watch indigenous dance performances.

Immigrants and their descendants, many from Mexico and Latin America, gather to celebrate their shared faith and traditions on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It serves as a vital cultural link, preserving the heritage of those who have moved to the U.S. while providing a sense of belonging and continuity.

Why Is the Virgin Mother Mary Significant in the Americas?

In the Americas, the Virgin Mother has a long and complex history. She is a symbol of the single-minded mission of European colonizers to stamp out animism and convert people to Catholicism in Latin America. At the same time, she represents the resilience of indigenous Americans. Paintings of the Lady of Guadalupe depict her with brown skin and local clothing, giving her a distinctively indigenous identity. Some people believe that she is so revered in Mexico because she shares similarities with the Aztec earth-mother goddess Tonantzin.

However, a few scholars have pointed out that having an indigenous Catholic figure probably made it easier for the Spanish to push Catholicism on the people of Mexico and beyond. So while La Virgen continues to embody hope and comfort for millions of people, she is also a reminder of the unsettled history of the region.

The Spanish and other European colonizers committed genocide against the original inhabitants of the Americas, and this history often gets glossed over during festive times. Catholic traditions have been present in the Americas for almost 500 years, but indigenous people have been here even longer and continue to thrive to this day.

Our Lady of Guadalupe doesn't show up on festival days alone. She is a constant presence in the daily lives of many Mexicans and Latinx people. Her image adorns candles, posters, jewelry, and even bodies in the form of tattoos. People enshrine her in their offices, schools, and businesses to ask for her blessings and guidance. Given the size of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival, it doesn't seem like her place of honor will wane any time soon.