Juan Diego was atop the Cerro de Tepeyac when Guadalupe appeared before him. When he ascended the hill in 1531, it was via a dusty path; today a lovely set of broad stairs carry visitors from the Guadalupe Basilica to Capilla del Cerrito, a church commemorating the site of this encounter.
Stationed along the stairway, colorful tableaux attract visitors. This one features Mary, Guadalupe, the Mexican flag, and a large photograph of Pope John Paul II.
The tableaux serve as backdrops for photographers. A dozen guys with cameras mill around on the stairway. For $60 pesos, they'll take your picture as a souvenir. Most of their customers are young mothers with children, their serious expressions consonant with the solemnity of the occasion.
The church that now stands on the site is small, a modest building. Scarcely a hundred people can fit inside. A series of murals along the central aisle tell the story of Juan Diego's meeting with Guadalupe—her appearing before him, his failure to convince the Bishop of Mexico that the encounter actually happened, his following meetings with Guadalupe, his final return to the Bishop with her image on his cloak.
(I always imagined Guadalupe's image as appearing on the inside of Juan Diego's cloak, but the murals show it on the outside for everyone to see it on his back as he walked.)
Just before reaching the small church, a sign greets visitors with information about points of interest on the hill. The arrow points away from the entrance to the capilla.
Bathrooms, drinks, religious articles and food: Mexicans get it right. Even at the holiest of places, nobody gets left hungry or thirsty, and as everywhere in Mexico, there's always a bathroom.
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