page_title: Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Puerto Vallarta)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Puerto Vallarta) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Puerto Vallarta cathedral, Jalisco, Mexico
context_page_description: The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe known locally as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, is a Catholic place of worship located in Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is open daily, with services in English available on Saturdays and mass in both Spanish and English on Sundays. The Church built in 1930-1940 was constructed on the original foundations of a chapel originally dedicated to Lady Guadalupe in 1901. The Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin Mary, is the patron saint of Mexico and is considered a religious symbol of Catholic faith and female empowerment. Her feast day on 12 December is also the date of her first apparition. In light of this fiesta, many individuals in the Mexican community will display alters in their homes consisting of a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe surrounded by flowers, candlelight, and other individual touches. Many churches, including the church located in Puerto Vallarta during this time light fireworks after the evening rosary leading up to the 12th of December.
context_section_description: The history of Our Lady of Guadalupe and ultimately Catholicism in North America surrounds the origin story of the Guadalupian Event. In December 1531 was when the Guadalupian Event took place. Juan Diego, a indigenous Mexican man was 57 years old when he took part in the interaction with La Virgen de Guadalupe. Juan Diego, one of the main protagonists in the event and has been labelled the "Messenger of Hope". This occurrence between both Lady Guadalupe and Juan Diego was situated on the hill of Tepeyac to the north of Mexico City, which is where the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is currently located. According to tradition this interaction took place on a winter's day in 1531 as Juan Diego was crossing a hillside near the current Mexico City. Lady Guadalupe initially asked Juan Diego to build a house, also known as a casita, on the hill. Juan Diego reported this to the local bishop twice which resulted in the bishop asking for proof. It was then again, the lady appeared to Juan Diego and requested that he collected flowers which was "a strange request because flowers were not in season in December". It is when he found an array of Castilian roses and assembled them into a tilma or coat which he returned to the bishop as evidence. The lore conveys that as he presented the coat, the flowers toppled to the ground and both the bishop and peasant discovered an image of La Virgen de Guadalupe on the inside. Juan Diego did not hesitate to spread the news of his encounter with the "Holy Mary of Guadalupe" and became a missionary recognised under the names of "the humble and obedient Indigenous", "Our Lady's Visionary", and "The humble Ambassador of the Virgin". It is through the sharing of Juan Diego's encounter and gained knowledge is where the spread and introduction of Christianity began in Mexico.
caption: The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta
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