Juan Diego falls to his knees in reverent awe as the Virgin of Guadalupe appears. Speaking softly, she calls to him lovingly, like a mother. Symbolically, artifacts of the Aztec Empire lay scattered at her feet. Fernando Sayan Polo recreates the moment in 1531 when Guadalupe first appeared in Mexico and, as proof of her visit, caused roses to bloom at the site. Because church leaders did not believe Juan Diego had seen her, she instructed him to gather a bouquet in his cloak, or tilma, and take them back with him. When the bishops opened the cloak, the Virgin's portrait appeared. The original tilma is on display in her Basilica in Mexico City. Titled Virgen de Guadalupe in Spanish.
Language: English
