According to tradition, St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous Mexican convert to Roman Catholicism, was visited by the Virgin Mary in her manifestation as Our Lady of Guadalupe four times in December 1531. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to him to ask him to tell the local bishop to build a shrine to her on the site of her apparitions on Tepeyac Hill, on the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. At one point, the bishop asked Juan Diego for proof of the apparition. Mary then instructed Juan Diego to gather roses growing on the hill (even though it was winter) and bring them to the bishop. When Juan Diego opened his tilma (cloak) before the bishop, dozens of roses fell out, and an image of Mary was miraculously imprinted on the inside of the tilma. This miracle convinced the bishop to build the church according to the Virgin’s request.
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