The Virgin of Guadalupe is one of the most powerful spiritual symbols in Latin America, and visiting the Basílica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a must for anyone drawn to spirituality, divine feminine energy, or unexplained phenomena. My visit to this sacred site offered a moment of deep reflection — not just on the mystery of the tilma itself, but also on its connection to my ancestral culture and my own spiritual path. In this post, I share those reflections along with the powerful story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Divine Feminine

The energy and spirit of the Divine Mother has a very special place in my heart, especially the form she takes as the Virgin of Guadalupe. You don’t need to be Catholic to believe in the power she holds, spiritually and culturally. To me, she represents the divine feminine archetype — and that is something far beyond any religion. As a Mexican-American woman, I also resonate with her representation of the blending of Indigenous and Spanish cultures. The Virgin of Guadalupe is one of the main spirit guides that has helped me through my spiritual journey and she has never let me down. So it’s an understatement to say I was excited to finally walk through the doors of her church and be in the same room as the famous Tilma of Guadalupe.

The Legend of the Tilma of Guadalupe

In 1531, an Indigenous man named Juan Diego saw an apparition of what appeared to be the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill in present-day Mexico City. She spoke to him in his native language and requested that a church be built there in her honor. When the local bishop asked for proof of his story, the Virgin instructed Juan Diego to gather roses in his cloak, and so he did. He returned to the bishop, and when he opened his cloak to reveal the roses, the iconic image of the Virgen de Guadalupe miraculously appeared. That cloak — the Tilma of Guadalupe — still exists today at the Basílica de Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The Tilma of Guadalupe is surrounded by mystery and unexplained phenomena:

• It’s made of cactus fiber and should’ve deteriorated hundreds of years ago, yet it remains intact.
• The stars on her mantle mirror the sky from the day she appeared in 1531.
• It maintains a constant temperature of 98.6°F — like a living human body.
• When scientists looked at her eyes under a microscope, they saw an image of Juan Diego from her point of view.
• The image is not painted on, and there’s no evidence of any pigment or brushstrokes.
• It has survived disasters, including an explosion in 1921.
• Music is produced when the image is analyzed through a digital frequency scan, almost as if the image carries a divine resonance.

Is the tilma of Guadalupe real? Regardless of whether the legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the claims of paranormal phenomena are entirely true or not, I like to believe they are. To have faith in the unknown nature of the tilma is to have faith in miracles. I have personally experienced the spiritual power of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and so I wouldn’t doubt if there was some truth to these supernatural claims. Of course, that is up to every person to decide for themselves.

The Basílica of our Lady of Guadalupe

When we first entered the church property, we encountered a shrine where people were placing candles as offerings to the Virgin. So of course I bought a candle from a woman selling them outside the church, lit it, and placed it under a wall that says:

“Es nada lo que asusta y aflige, No se turbe tu corazón ¿No estás por ventura en mi regazo…?”

“Let not your heart be troubled, what frightens and distresses you is nothing. Is it not true that you are in my lap?”

I didn’t know it at the time, but this message on the wall was foreshadowing the healing that was yet to take place on this trip. This was my first full day of being in Mexico, and while my primary intention for the trip was to reconnect to my truth and remember who I am, I didn’t realize I was also being guided to release fears that were holding me back. As I left my candle on the mantle, I silently prayed for the Virgin’s grace and protection and continued wandering, eventually finding the main church area.

To my surprise, we walked into the middle of a mass. We slowly weaved through people until we found a good spot to stand, and there it was — the Tilma of Guadalupe was at the front of the room, in my direct line of sight.

Tears immediately swelled up in my eyes, and I was in awe of her presence. I am a sensitive person, and I knew the emotions I was feeling were not mine alone — it was the collective energy being generated by the hundreds, if not thousands, of people in that room. I also knew that I was crying because I was so thankful and overwhelmed with the love that I felt in that moment. Looking at everyone around me, I realized I wasn’t alone in my love for the Virgin.

The mass was in Spanish, and unfortunately, I could only understand some of it, but I knew they were honoring the Mother of God for the love, protection, and strength she provides us. What are the odds I was there for Mother’s Day weekend? Nothing is a coincidence.

Our Lady of Guadalupe and Her Cultural Influence

The Virgin of Guadalupe, also known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, is deeply woven into Mexican culture, and she is known as the patron saint of the Americas.

One reason for her importance is that some believe she helped to unite the Indigenous people and the Spanish colonizers. Tepeyac Hill was once a shrine dedicated to an Aztec goddess known as Tonantzin, and this correlation allowed both groups to see their beliefs reflected in this miracle. Tonantzin is a Nahuatl word for “Our Great Mother” and represents life and fertility. I find this fascinating, and I almost feel like these are just different names for the same energetic being.

Personally, I also believe that as the Catholic Church was becoming a dominating power in Mexico and South America, it was simply safer for some of our ancestors to worship Tonantzin through the lens of Guadalupe. The legend of Juan Diego and the tilma was also a story of miracles and supernatural events, which our ancestors probably found fascinating. So regardless of exactly how the Virgin of Guadalupe came to be, her spirit is celebrated and highly honored in our culture.

It’s no wonder that Our Lady of Guadalupe and her iconic imagery are seen all around Mexico — on every street corner and throughout artisan markets. I think many Mexican and Mexican-American women see a piece of themselves in her: our divine feminine nature, the unconditional love we have for God and the universe, and the union of two cultures that many of us carry in our blood — Indigenous and European. While it’s important to acknowledge the trauma our Indigenous ancestors endured during the Spanish conquest (and any hardships current Indigenous people face), we have the opportunity now to accept who we are, heal the wounds of our ancestors by reclaiming what was taken from them, and embody the spiritual grace that the Virgin of Guadalupe offers us.

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So light a candle, pray the rosary, set up a shrine for the Virgin or Tonantzin, or simply ponder the miracle of her spirit. Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe represents unconditional love, protection, and the unity and perseverance of the Mexican people. While a majority of her followers are Catholic, she opens her heart to all people. All you need to do is seek it. ♡