A portion of the first chapel built to house the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac still exists. St. Juan Diego lived at this chapel for 17 years while guarding the miraculous tilma. The original chapel was part of the Old Parish of the Indians. This structure remains an essential component of the Marian complex of Tepeyac, located next to the current Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City.
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The apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe occurred between December 9 and 12, 1531, when the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous man, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City.1 2 3 She requested a chapel be built on the plain of Tepeyac as a sign of her love for all nations, particularly the marginalized Indigenous people living on the city's outskirts.1 The miraculous image of the Virgin imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma (cloak) served as proof for Archbishop Friar Juan de Zumárraga, leading to the chapel's construction.4
Following the apparitions, a small adobe chapel was built next to what is now the Guadalupe Basilica to house the tilma.1 2 3 St. Juan Diego lived adjacent to this chapel for 17 years, from 1531 until his death in 1548, where he cared for the image and welcomed pilgrims.1 He shared firsthand accounts of the events in his native language, spreading devotion among the Indigenous population who felt forgotten and without rights.2
The chapel's location in the Tepeyac valley symbolized the Virgin's closeness to those on social and geographical margins.1 3 A cross now marks the site of Juan Diego's former home, and tradition holds he was buried there.2
Due to growing devotion, the original chapel was expanded, and in 1649, it became the Old Parish Church of the Indians.1 2 3 A preserved wall within this church marks the exact spot where the tilma was displayed for over 100 years.1 The image was relocated in April 1709 to a new basilica, later called the Old Basilica after the modern one opened in 1976.3
This site remains part of Mexico's spiritual heritage but is often overlooked by pilgrims visiting the basilica complex.1 2
The imprinting of the image on the tilma did not occur at Tepeyac but at Archbishop Zumárraga's residence, now the Old Archbishop's Palace adjacent to Mexico City's metropolitan cathedral.4 In 1529, Zumárraga acquired the Casa de Medel property, establishing it as his home by 1530, where Juan Diego presented the roses and revealed the miracle.4
The building endured floods in 1629 and was rebuilt between 1730 and 1747, serving as an archbishop's residence until mid-19th-century reforms.4 Today, it functions as the Museum of the Secretariat of Finance, featuring a red façade with Latin inscriptions from Revelation.4
A sculpture of Juan Diego and Zumárraga, blessed by St. John Paul II, was created to honor the imprinting site but was placed on the cathedral's side due to civil authorities' refusal to install it at the palace.4 Priests like Father José de Jesús Aguilar advocate for greater awareness of these locations to deepen understanding of the Guadalupe events.1 4
The Virgin's choice of an Indigenous messenger like Juan Diego allowed authentic sharing of apparition details, from weather to her appearance, resonating with her people.2 3 Her words, "Do not be afraid, am I not here, I who am your mother?"—recorded in the Nican Mopohua—offered comfort amid fears, including Juan Diego's worry over his uncle's illness, which was miraculously healed.1
This message continues to provide assurance in facing death, fear, or hardship, affirming hope and maternal protection.4
Investigate Catholic origins of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s first chapel
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe begins with the apparitions to Juan Diego in December 1531, a pivotal moment in Catholic history that not only marked a profound encounter between the Virgin Mary and the indigenous peoples of Mexico but also laid the foundation for the first devotional structures dedicated to her. On December 9, 1531, while walking to Tlatelolco, Juan Diego, a 55-year-old neophyte, experienced the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, near Mexico City. She presented herself as "the perfect ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the true God" and entrusted him with the mission to request that Bishop Juan de Zumárraga build a church at the site of her appearance. This divine request set in motion the Catholic origins of the Guadalupe devotion, emphasizing Mary's role as a bridge between heaven and the New World, fostering evangelization among the native populations.
The apparitions culminated on December 12, when Mary instructed Juan Diego to gather roses from the barren hilltop—an impossible task in the winter season—and present them to the bishop. As he opened his tilma (a coarse cloak) before Zumárraga, the roses fell out, revealing the miraculous image of the Virgin imprinted on the fabric. This event convinced the bishop, who then authorized the construction of the requested church. From a Catholic perspective, these apparitions underscore Mary's intercessory role in salvation history, echoing her biblical fiat and her presence at key moments like the Annunciation and the foot of the Cross, now extended to the Americas to draw souls to Christ.
The Catholic origins of the first chapel trace directly to this miraculous sign, with construction beginning almost immediately after the apparitions. Historical accounts confirm that by 1532, a modest shrine was erected at the foot of Tepeyac Hill, serving as the initial place of worship for the growing devotion. This structure, often described interchangeably as a hermitage or small chapel, was built in response to Mary's explicit request for a temple where she could show her "compassionate clemency" to the people, particularly the indigenous communities suffering from the upheavals of the Spanish conquest.
Pope Pius XII, in his 1945 radio message commemorating the 50th anniversary of the canonical crowning of the Virgin of Guadalupe, highlighted this progression of devotion: "You had dedicated to her first a hermitage, then a chapel, afterwards a temple and finally a magnificent Basilica". The hermitage-chapel phase represents the purest Catholic origin of the site—a simple, unadorned edifice born from obedience to a Marian apparition, reflecting the Church's early endorsement of the event. Bishop Zumárraga himself oversaw its establishment, integrating it into the nascent ecclesiastical structure of New Spain. This first chapel was not a grand edifice but a functional oratory, symbolizing the inculturation of the Gospel in a land where Christianity was blending with indigenous spirituality. Pilgrimages to this site began "almost uninterruptedly since 1531-32," drawing converts and fostering a sense of unity under Mary's maternal gaze.
The chapel's location at the base of Tepeyac was deliberate, aligning with the topography of the apparitions and facilitating access for pilgrims. Parts of this original structure still exist today as the parochial sacristy, a testament to its enduring Catholic roots. In the context of 16th-century Mexico, this construction marked a significant step in the Church's mission: it provided a focal point for catechesis, sacraments, and communal prayer, helping to convert millions—legend holds that nine million indigenous people embraced Christianity shortly after, attributing this to Guadalupe's influence.
Central to the chapel's Catholic origins is the figure of Juan Diego himself, whose life post-apparitions embodied the devotion it housed. After the miracles, Juan Diego, moved by "a tender and profound devotion to the Mother of God," sought and received permission from the bishop to live in a poor house adjacent to the temple of the "Señora del Cielo". His daily responsibilities included cleaning the chapel and welcoming pilgrims, transforming the site into a living center of faith. This humble service exemplified the lay vocation in the Church, as praised by Pope John Paul II during Juan Diego's beatification in 1990: accounts of his life "praise his Christian virtues: his simple faith... his confidence in God and in the Virgin; his charity, his moral coherence, his detachment and his evangelical poverty".
The chapel quickly became a hub for the "Guadalupan history," where the tilma—now enshrined there—served as the "heart" of Mexican spirituality. Pilgrims from across the region gathered, offering the first tributes to the image, which the Church recognizes as a "long-standing and constant" tradition, both oral and written, from Indian and Spanish sources. This early devotion was not merely cultural but deeply Catholic, rooted in the theology of Mary as the "Star of Evangelization," as later articulated by popes. The chapel's origins thus reflect the Church's preferential option for the poor and marginalized, as Mary appeared to an indigenous man, speaking in Nahuatl, to affirm their dignity in Christ.
Over the subsequent centuries, the first chapel evolved into more elaborate structures: a richer shrine in 1622, an even grander one in 1709, and eventually the Basilica of 1709, elevated to collegiate status around 1750 and basilica in 1904. Yet, its Catholic origins remain anchored in the 1532 hermitage, a direct fruit of the apparitions approved by the Church. This progression mirrors the growth of Marian devotion in the Americas, from a local chapel to a universal symbol of unity, as seen in the 1992 inauguration of a Guadalupe chapel in the Vatican, described as "a prolongation of Tepeyac in Rome".
In summary, the first chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe originated in the Catholic imperative to respond to Mary's call through Juan Diego, manifesting as a simple 1532 shrine at Tepeyac's foot. It embodied the Church's evangelizing mission, blending faith with inculturation, and continues to inspire devotion worldwide. This humble beginning invites all to contemplate Mary's role in drawing humanity to her Son, fostering hope amid historical trials.