A Conversation about Our Lady of Guadalupe with Dora Olaiz

In an atmosphere of relaxed conversation in her home, savoring hot chocolate and delicious “conchas,” a Mexican sweet bread, Dora Olaiz shared her love for Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Dora frequently gives presentations on Our Lady’s apparitions in Mexico in 1531, and she is always happy to share her knowledge about them.

The missionaries who arrived in Mexico after the conquest of Hernan Cortes in 1521 had only been able to convert a few people, and Juan Diego was among them. Our Lady appeared several times to Juan Diego, the first indigenous American saint, who was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on July 31, 2002. 

Major documents about the apparitions

The two major documents about the apparitions are the Nican Mopohua, a poem that narrates the apparitions in the Nahuatl language while also describing the indigenous culture; and the Codex Escalada, which was written in 1548. 

A codex is a precursor to the modern bound book. This one was a “death certificate” of Juan Diego, engraved on Amatl paper (from the Amatl tree), with glyphs and images depicting the apparitions. It was signed by two important personages at the time: a Spanish friar, Fr. Bernardino de Sahagun, and Antonio Valeriano, who also wrote the Nican Mopohua poem.  

The tilma worn by Juan Diego, on which Our Lady miraculously left her image, is a codex in itself. It portrays Our Lady’s message using images from the Aztec culture, which was explained. 

The Tilma's Symbolism & Intact

• The flowers on Her dress include the four-petalled flower, the nahui ollin, which was a symbol of the sun-god, the highest deity for indigenous tribes. This and other symbols enabled the conversion of more than 8 million souls in fewer than 9 years, in itself a miraculous feat!

• The stars depicted on Our Lady’s mantle, which correspond to the solstice of December 12, 1531, as if seen from above the sky, looking down.

• Additionally, it’s a wonder that after almost 500 years, the tilma itself is still in perfect condition. Tilmas, made from cactus fibers, as Juan Diego’s was, deteriorate after 15 – 20 years!

• Guadalupe’s eyes have been thoroughly studied by renowned ophthalmologists, and it is mind-blowing to hear that Her eyes are like those of a living person! When the inside of the eyes is illuminated with an ophthalmoscope, they exhibit the Samson Purkinje phenomenon, that is, reflections in a human eye. Each eye’s reflection is slightly different, according to the angle and distance of what was before her sight at that moment.

• Computerized studies have been able to identify in these reflections up to 12 people – those who were present at the moment when Juan Diego presented the flowers to Bishop Zumarraga as proof of Guadalupe’s request to build Her a temple. 

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the most visited church in the world. Throughout the year, about 14 million pilgrims visit the Basilica. By contrast, St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican has around 10 million visitors annually, most being tourists.

Our Lady of Guadalupe wanted Her shrine to be a place where people would find God's "love, compassion, help, comfort and salvation" (Nican Mopohua, #28-29). Her message remains a beautiful summary of the mission of the Church and the purpose of our Christian lives.

Guadalupe’s Message and Mission: 

God is calling every one of us in the Church to "build a shrine" with our lives, through our work, and the way we live.  God is calling us to bear witness to His redemption, to the difference that Jesus Christ makes in our lives.  He is calling us to show his love and compassion to our brothers and sisters and to work for a society that is worthy of the dignity of the human person. Mary is the Star of the New Evangelization, as proclaimed by Pope St. John Paul II. 

She tells each one of us:

“Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection?  Am I not the source of your joy, are you not in the hollow of my mantel in the crossing of my arms?  Do you need anything more?” (Nican Mopohua, # 119).

She is a unifier – Our Lady of Guadalupe brings Christ’s peace to all who love Her. 

If we learn more about Our Lady of Guadalupe, we too will become her little “Juan Dieguitas.”

-Dora Olaiz