Tuesday, April 7, 2026

US-12167858

 This is another American official card, it was sent from Seattle, but Basílica de Guadalupe is located in Mexico. I've never heard of it before but this basilica is the second most important site for the Catholic world after Rome. I had no idea.

It is said that the Virgin appeared before Juan Diego on four occasions on the Hill of Tepeyac. These apparitions occurred ten years after the fall of Tenochtitlán, in 1531. According to tradition, the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego and asked him to have a temple built there. The remains of a small adobe temple can still be seen in the old parish for Indigenous people, which is believed to have been this first temple. - in: https://visitmexico.com

 US-12167858, sent by Leo.
In response to our Blessed Mother request, the first Bishop of Mexico, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, ordered the construction of a small hermitage in 1531, which became a place of pilgrimage from its very beginnings.
However, with the increasing number of faithful, the need for a larger space became evident, so in 1709, the first basilica was inaugurated, today known as the Old Basilica of Guadalupe.
Due to the structural deterioration of the old basilica and the continuous increase in visitors, it was decided to construct a new building.
 The New Basilica of Guadalupe was designed by the architects Pedro Ramárez Vázquez, José Luis Benlliure, Alejandro Schoenhofer, Fray Gabriel Chávez de la Mora, and Javier García Lascuráin.
It was consecrated on October 12, 1976, as the most modern house of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This modern building can accommodate thousands of faithful and features a circular architecture that allows a clear view of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe from any point inside. - in:
https://guadalupe500mexico.com