On December 12th we celebrate the day Our Lady of Guadalupe made her first appearance. It’s been almost 500 years, but even after so long, many facts are still mysterious to science.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Mexico in 1531 to an Indian named Juan Diego. She wanted a shrine to be built there, so she asked the native to collect some roses from Castile in his cloak and take it to Archbishop Juan de Zumárraga as proof of the apparitions. The roses would be strange, because it was winter and the flowers are not from that time.
Therefore, the native was obedient and did exactly what was asked of him. When he opened the tilma, a robe made with a very simple fabric, the bishop saw the flowers and something that drew even more attention: the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe engraved on the cloth.
This is considered one of the great miracles of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To this day, science cannot explain how the image, with all its details, got there. Because of him, Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed her patroness of Latin America in 1910, however the date of her appearance had been liturgical commemoration since 1754.
Want to know more about the Virgin of Guadalupe? So, read on to check out 7 facts about her.
#1 The cloak was supposed to last 15 years, but it’s already over 500
The tilma is made of a very simple material, mainly composed of cactus fibers. According to experts, it should last just over 15 years. However, it has lasted almost 500 years. Nobody can explain the long life of this cloth.
Also, the robe has a rough feel, except where the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is engraved. There, the fabric feels like silk, soft and smooth to the touch.
#2 The cloak appears to be indestructible
In addition to lasting much longer than expected, a simple tilma would certainly not survive chemicals or a dynamite explosion, but this is the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Hence, she survived both suits .
In 1785, during a cleaning done on the glass that protects the mantle, a nitric acid solvent fell on much of the image, which should have been destroyed. However, within 30 days, it restored itself and remains intact to this day. The accident is only noticed because of small stains in some parts of the mantle.
A second proof that the tilma is unshakable took place in 1921, when a man placed in front of the image, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a vase of roses with 29 loads of dynamite.
The explosion destroyed many things around. To understand gravity, a bronze crucifix and the metal chandeliers that were next to the image twisted with the force of the explosive. But the image did not suffer any kind of damage and neither did the protective glass.
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#3 – There are impressive details in Our Lady of Guadalupe’s eyes
Peruvian ophthalmologist Dr. José Alte Tonsmann analyzed the image. When he approached 2,500 times the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe he captured a scene, as when something reflects in human eyes.
The reflection seems to be from the exact moment when Juan Diego opened his mantle to the bishop. You can see 13 people in the image.
#4 – The Sanctuary of the Virgin Guadalupe
The mantle is preserved in the Sanctuary of Guadalupe and intact, receives millions of visits a year. There are several chapels in the Sanctuary and two basilicas, the one from the Sec. XVI and a second from 1974.
#5 – Full report
All information about the apparitions can be found in “Nican Mopohua” (“Here is narrated”, in Nahuatl). The document was written in 1556 by an indigenous politician and scholar.
Another content that supports the story is “Informaciones Jurídicas” from 1666, a grouping of testimonies from indigenous painters, doctors and elders, designed to ask the pope to institute the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
#6 – Scientific study
Até o momento foram feitos quatro estudos sobre a imagem, entre os anos de 1751-1752, 1947-1973, 1979 e 1982. Os responsáveis por esses estudos foram 7 grandes artistas, um restaurador de arte e um biofísico. Nenhum deles encontrou respostas científicas para explicar. Além disso, o manto não possui pinceladas e naquela época muitas cores nem existiam ainda.
#7 – Há música na imagem de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe
It is possible to draw a perfect melody from the image of the Virgin Guadalupe. For this, it is necessary to observe the stars and flowers of the mantle as if they were musical notes and from them, melody comes out.
The mantle and apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe have great mysteries, all of them surprising. We invite you to meditate on each piece of information given in this article and give thanks for the beauties and graces that are in each one.
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