Holiday Ayo - The Basilica of Guadalupe is a Catholic shrine on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City that is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe (the Blessed Virgin Mary and the patroness of Mexico). This important pilgrimage destination is one of the most visited churches in the world and a must-see site on any trip to Mexico City. The Basilica was built in 1974 in the spot where the aspirations of the Virgin were said to have appeared.

A trip inside takes you to a display of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe impressed on the cloak of Saint Juan Diego. Each year, approximately 10 million people travel to this shrine, making it one of the largest Catholic pilgrimages in the world. The biggest crusade happens each year on December 12, the feast day of this manifestation of the Virgin Mary. 

source: planetofhotels

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, in Spanish) is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Tepeyac or the Virgin of Guadalupe, and is a manifestation of an apparition of the Virgin Mary that first appeared on a hill outside Mexico City. A native Mexican peasant named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was said to have had his first sighting in 1531.

The apparition asked him to speak to the bishop and tell him that she wished a temple be built in her honor. He immediately went to the bishop who required some sort of sign as proof. So, Juan Diego returned to the aspiration and she told him to pick roses, carry them in his tilma (cloak), and take them to the bishop. He did so, and when he opened his cloak and the flowers fell out, all were astounded to see an image of the Virgin miraculously imprinted on his garment.

After that, a simple shrine was built on Tepeyac Hill in 1532, and it soon became a pilgrimage site. A new shrine was erected in 1622, and a more elaborate one in 1709, which was designated a basilica in 1904. The church eventually became inadequate for the number of people who visited the shrine, and the grand basilica that stands today was then erected in the 1970s. Juan Diego's tilma, with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is displayed inside the Basilica of Guadalupe, situated over a moving walkway behind the altar, allowing people to view it up close.

source: Inside Mexico

The Basilica de Guadalupe's architecture was inspired by other 17th century churches in Mexico. When the basilica was completed, some visitors made disparaging remarks about its design, likening it to a circus tent. However, the particular design was purposeful, as the soft subsoil on which it is built required this type of lightweight construction.

The basilica's circular floorplan—100 meters or 328 feet in diameter—was thoughtfully arranged to allow views of the Virgin from any spot inside the building. To guarantee that the new church would not sink, as the old structure did due to unstable land, the new basilica was built with a central 42-meter (137-foot)-high pylon.