The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-10

writer's Of rhe past 200 years have dis
eussed the auth nticity OF the Lads OF
q Guadalupe. Mexican historians have
universally agreed upon it as being genu-
Inc, but so muah of the miratlous must
FIRST be acce ted a. the truth that the Pa
pal authorities have treated the matter
with extreme conservatism.
The legend OF the Lady of Quad alupe is
peculiarly interesting and runs IN this
way:
ON the ninth or twelfth day Of Deem
Der. in the year 1881. Juan Diego, con-
verified Indian. was going to Iepeyac. one
of the r,ountains near t e City Of Mex
leo. Pa sing tho SPOT where a chsly be-
ate spring Is now he heard the sound of
sweet music and beheld a lain bow, from
which suddenly appeared to him beau.
tiful lady, who told him she was the
Blessed Virgin and that he must 60 to
their bishop and inform him Of what he
had heard and seen.
This the Indian did, but made no i'm
preston on the bishop. Four times the
virgin appeared to Diego and always in
the same spot. and at the last meeting
she cured him of serious malady by the
water of the chalybeate splng, which
suddenly turst up under her feet
She then told the Indian to 20 up on
the mountain near the top and gather
some roses, which he must take to the
bishop. with the message that they cam o
from her and that she desired the bishop
to ''build a church on the mountain and
worship her there as the Virgin OF Quad
alups."
Nothing but pines and scrub grew on
the mountain, as Juan Diego knew full
we'll for he traversed it daily. But he
did IS he was told and found roses on the
very spot where now stands the upper
chapel. He hastily plueked them and
wrapped them in his blanket and deliv-
than IN no hi ghp1, with the q
last III essage.
AS the bishop took the flowers from the
blank, I, according to the legend, there
appeared painted on the Uoarse wool q
beautiful Madonna, the very picture OF
the Virgin of Guadalupe. The howers
and the blanket we're transferred to the
church. in who's. custody they now are.
and Our Lady of Guadalupe became at
once. and has bean ever since, the Guard
ian SAINT of Mexico.
Later the costly cathedral, huge mass
of domes and turrets, with the little
chapel in VIII CHI is the chalyb'ate sprins,
and further up the mountain second
and larger chapel were erected to Maria
| Santissima de Guadalupe.
| Considerable Importance attaches to
tbs name Guadalupe, the name by which
| the virgin directed thar the picture of
| herself should be called. But she was
| talking to an Indian in one of the Nahua
| dialects. Scholars affirm that the letters
'd' and ''g'' do not occur in those lang.
uages and that the nearest an Aztec could
come to saying Guadalupe would be Te'
| cuatalopo.
The ancient name of the hill where the
apparition is said to have taken place
was Tepeyac. No certainly traced con
nection can be made out, but it il fac
of great significance that Srain had hel
own Lady OF Guadalupe before the con
quest.
According to the historian Salazar, {
virgin by that name was the object o
worship in a small village of Andalusia
The historian goes on to say that Herman
Cortez was much given to the worship o
this saint. and that he had placed in he
shrine a silver lamp and an emerald IN
crusted scorpion of gold. Mexican his
tory reveals no connection between Cor
teZ and the Mexican virgin OF Guada
lupe, yet 1T is supposed that one existed
| Of which all trace has been lost.