Feast Day: December 9
Title: Confessor
Canonized: July 31, 2002, by Pope John Paul II
Lived: 1474 – May 30, 1548
Place of Birth: Cuautitlán, in present-day Mexico
Patronage: Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Early Life: Humble Beginnings
Juan Diego, baptized with the Christian name Juan Diego, was born with the native name Cuauhtlatoatzin, meaning “the talking eagle.” He belonged to the Chichimeca people, part of the Nahua culture, and lived a quiet, humble life in the village of Cuautitlán, near modern-day Mexico City. He was married, though his wife passed away before the apparitions.
After the Spanish evangelization began in the early 16th century, Juan Diego was among the first converts to the Catholic Faith in New Spain. He was baptized around the year 1524 by one of the Franciscan missionaries, most likely Fray Toribio de Benavente (Motolinia).
Juan Diego took his faith very seriously. He walked long distances—up to 15 miles—to attend daily Mass and receive catechesis at the Franciscan mission in Tlatelolco.
The Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531)
From December 9 to 12, 1531, Juan Diego was graced with four extraordinary apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, just outside of what is now Mexico City. These apparitions are among the most significant Marian events in the history of the Church, especially in the Americas.
First Apparition – December 9
While on his way to Mass, Juan Diego heard celestial music and saw a radiant cloud atop Tepeyac Hill. There, the Mother of God appeared to him, clothed in garments that reflected both heavenly majesty and signs recognizable to the native peoples. Speaking to him in his native Nahuatl language, she identified herself as:
“I am the ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the true God, through whom everything lives.”
She instructed him to go to the bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, and ask that a chapel be built on the hill in her honor.
Second Apparition – December 10
After his initial request was met with doubt, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac to ask Our Lady to send someone more esteemed. But she replied:
“Listen, my little son, there are many I could send, but it is you whom I have chosen.”
She urged him again to make the request.
Third Apparition – December 11
The bishop asked for a sign. Juan Diego promised to return, but his uncle, Juan Bernardino, had fallen gravely ill, and Juan delayed his return to care for him.
Fourth Apparition – December 12
While seeking a priest for his uncle’s Last Rites, Juan Diego tried to avoid the hill to not delay his task. But the Blessed Virgin intercepted him, assuring him:
“Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection?”
She told him his uncle was already healed. Then she instructed him to gather Castilian roses—miraculously blooming in December—into his tilma (cloak) and take them to the bishop as a sign.
When Juan Diego opened his tilma before the bishop, the roses fell to the ground, and the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma.
After the Apparitions
With the bishop’s approval, a chapel was built at Tepeyac. Juan Diego moved into a small hermitage near the shrine, where he lived the rest of his life in prayer, penance, and caring for the pilgrims who came to venerate the miraculous image.
He spent his final years in great humility and holiness, growing in virtue and piety, often receiving the sacraments and giving testimony to the apparitions. He died in 1548, likely around the age of 74.
Legacy and Canonization
The tilma of Saint Juan Diego, bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, remains incorrupt and is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It has been a source of millions of conversions and is regarded as a great sign of divine favor to the Americas.
Saint Juan Diego was beatified on May 6, 1990, and canonized on July 31, 2002, by Pope John Paul II, who declared him the first indigenous saint of the Americas. His canonization was seen as a powerful affirmation of the dignity of indigenous peoples within the Church.
Spiritual Lessons from Saint Juan Diego
- Humility and Obedience – Though a poor and unlearned man, he obeyed Our Lady with trust and simplicity.
- Missionary Spirit – His life became a quiet but powerful proclamation of the Gospel.
- Devotion to the Blessed Virgin – His fidelity to Our Lady’s message is a model of Marian devotion.
- Love for the Sacraments – Juan Diego’s long walks to receive Mass and catechesis show the fervor of a converted soul.
Traditional Prayer to Saint Juan Diego
O Saint Juan Diego, humble messenger of the Most Holy Virgin, help us to faithfully fulfill the will of God. Obtain for us a tender love for Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a heart ready to serve. Through your intercession, may we grow in holiness and trust in the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. Amen.