The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-31
The HOLY HILL
OF old Mexico
There Is Built Shrine to Guadl.
IupG, COun,ry'S Patron Saint,
VIRGIN APPEARED TO HIM

tutS'U ~ 6nttGD ~ tlt4sN
Story Told by the Simple Folk of the
Land to This Day-How GuadaIupe's
Uncle Was MiracuIously Healed by
the virsin-Side Light on Country IN
Which Americans Are Now keeniy
Interested.
Fortunate is the person who has had
he opportunity of visiting the Basil.
lea, as the great church of Guada.
lupe is called, and of looking up ut
It's sky decked ceilings, admirng its
gigantic and perfect proportions and
Of approaching the faultless marble
statues of the bishop and the Indian.
Juan Diego, who, kneeling. guard the
sacred tilma within the main altar
which bears the historic figure of the
Virgin of Guadalupe.
1t seems from the best authorities
at command that the hill now known
rs Guadalupe hill was sacred spot
under the old regime of the Aztecs.
being set apart as the place most tit
for the worship of the goddess To-
nantzin, so that from time immemo.
rial it has thus been a place for
worship and is today surrounded and
surmounted by group Of famous
churches and chapels.
But as to the story. In brief it is
this: Juan Diego, a poor Indian con
vert to the Christianity of the Span.
iards, good Catholic that he was, was
going to mass the morning of Dec ..
1881.
q Upon that memorable morning GS
he passed around the hill of Tepeyar
beautiful woman addressed him. ana
he paused gallantly to hear her words.
She bade him to go to the bishop and
tell him she wished IA temple built to
her honor on that hill. The simple In
dian went as he was hidden to the
bishop, who naturally was incredu-
lous. Juan, deeply impressed by the
strange occurrence, returned twice to
the hill, and each time the radiant
lady told him to bear the message to
the bishop for her. He finally told
her of the incredulity of the bishop; in
fact, that he demanded a sign of proof
told him to come again the next day
and she would give him n sign.
The next day poor Juan found his
uncle, with whom he dwelt, very i'll,
so that he set out in great haste and
alarm to call a confessor lest his kins-
man would die unconfessed. For fear
he would be delayed by his fair inter
Iocutor of past days he passed around
the other side of the mountain hut
only to be hailed there by the beautiful
woman. He approached her somewhat
reluctantly, as we may imagine, owing
10 the urgency of his mission, and eX-.
planned the matter to her. She told
him that his uncle was already cured
and therefore would need no confessor
and bade him gather some roses from
the barren, rocky hillside where il is
said the chapel of the hill now stands
He Receives the Sign.
He approached the to him well
known barren hillside in childish sim
plicity and to his great surprise found
that there were numbers of beautiful
roses in full bloom. He wore with
out doubt the tilma made of the fiber
of the ixtli plant such as his class
were accustomed to use For want of
anything at hand in which to place
the beautiful flowers and doubtless
very eager to assure the bishop of the
ruth of the stories he had told he
look off his tilma and filled it with the
pink roses and in haste made his way
10 the house of the bishop.
Arrived at the bishops home, the
humble Indian unrolled the tilma to
display his precious burden of roses
when, 10, miracle of miracles, upon
the inner side of the tilma when the
soses rolled upon the floor at their
beet was discovered the perfect image
Of the wonderful lady who had sent
him with sign to the bishop.
The incredulous bishop as the story
goes, was thoroughly convinced and
Feverently cared for the image until
chapel could be erected upon the
\ hillside according TO the mandate OF
ihe holy Virgin.
Beautiful as was the story, readily
as 1t was accepted by the people within
! khe valley and, in fact, all over the re-
public wherever it was told, 1t took 200
years O., more to convince the papal
sowers Of its authenticity. The Virgin
VI Guadalupe, who had been recognized
by the people of Mexico as their patron
saint for 200 years, did not get the full
/ Endorsement of the congregation of
IriteS at Rome until the year 175A