An indigenous peasant named Juan Diego from a neighborhood in northern Mexico City called Guadeloupe, claims the Virgin Mary appeared to him on December 22, 1531 and told him to build a church. What became known as the Basilica of Guadalupe was instrumental in the development of Catholicism in Mexico. Father Miguel Hidalgo – known as the Father of Mexican Independence from Spain – raised the banner of Guadalupe as his standard in battle. This is a picture of the bascilica.
