The Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe is not only the center religious of the Ciudad de México, but also of the entire Latin American country. As is known, the Catholic religion is more than attached and entangled with Mexican culture, which is why Mexico tops the list of countries with believers of that faith worldwide. Now this building draws the attention of thousands and thousands of tourists year after year, even those who are not strictly religious, visiting it is a way to appreciate beautiful architectural details, as well as to make a new, in-depth approach to the Mexican culture. Next, we will give you some reasons to visit the Guadalupe church during your next trip to CDMX.
Reasons not to miss the basilica of Guadalupe
The Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe is also known by its official name: Insigne y Nacional Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe. Considered the most important building of the Catholic religion in Mexico, it owes its name to the Virgin Mary in her invocation of Guadalupe. Its renown is international, since is the most visited site of its kind in the world, only surpassed by St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Although there are no official figures, it is estimated that about 20 million people visit this place each year. The busiest dates are usually the days near Santa María de Guadalupe every December 12. In this way, we find a cultural and social phenomenon, beyond religion.
1. Value architectural and cultural
The first reason that we will give you will not be the religious one, since in a way it is the most obvious. The church of Guadalupe is one of the most important Baroque buildings in CDMX, with important references to the local style of those who built it. The current version, inaugurated in 1976, was the work of a series of architects: Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, José Luis Benlliure, Alejandro Schoenhofer, Javier García Lascuráin and Fray Gabriel Chávez de la Mora. Su exact address is Fray Juan de Zumárraga No. 2, Villa Gustavo A. Madero, Gustavo A. Madero, 07050.
2. Importance religious and social
It is important to bear in mind that we are talking about the most visited religious site in the world outside the Vatican, which undoubtedly brings together millions of Catholics from all over the world. In that sense, more Regardless of your religious convictions, it will be one of your greatest opportunities to learn about this religion, if only out of curiosity. As we pointed out previously, according to different figures such as those offered by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, 20 million people come to this place every year. Another surprising fact is that approximately 9 million do so close to the date of Santa María de Guadalupe.
3. Your stand out from the rest
Although City de México is a diverse and rich city in terms of architecture and cultural currents, the church of Gualupe is so far the most ostentatious building in CDMX since its construction cost 700 million Mexican pesos, which is equivalent to about 32 million dollars today. The businessman Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world, was charged with financing the project.
4. Surrender to the awe-inspiring beauty
During construction, every detail was thought out. For example, it was sought that the Virgin of Guadalupe could be observed from any point of the enclosure due to the large number of people it can accommodate: 10,000. The total capacity reaches 50,000 if all the spaces of the church are taken into account. In this sense, it is important to note that the property covers the land of more than 7,850 square meters, without counting the adjacent square, which is of nothing more and nothing less than 49,300 square meters.
5. Artistic value
In addition to its social and religious value, the church of Guadalupe in CDMX has within it a museum of sacred art that has more than 2200 pieces. It can be visited from 10 to 17 hours and the entrance is more than accessible, since it is around 50 cents. There you can find a fusion of the ancestral history of Mexico with Catholic sacred art, which dates back to the 16th century.
6. Witness a Mass and feel the sacred environment
Every day, the Basilica of Guadalupe offers eight masses, so it is an excellent opportunity to experience that experience if you have never been to a church of this magnitude before. In addition, this place is sacred since before the establishment of the Catholic religion in Mexico, since the Tepeyac hill was a place of worship in the pre-Hispanic era. In addition, the Virgin of Guadalupe has a great history and her faithful believe that she is really miraculous. & nbsp;
The story of the Virgin of Guadalupe
At this point, surely you want to know a little more information about the Virgin of Guadalupe. Without fear of exaggeration, it is the most popular Catholic symbol in Mexico, something that can be seen every December 12 when millions of people mobilize to the place to ask for help, pay tribute and also thank the favors granted. According to the story, n 1531 the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the Tepeyac hill, in the north of present-day Mexico, to the aboriginal Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, converted to Catholicism. According to legend, the Virgin asked him to build a temple in that place.
The Bishop of the time, Juan de Zumárraga, disbelieved Cuauhtlatoatzin’s account. The Virgin appeared again in front of the young man and asked him to repeat his visit to the religious reference. As the story was not believed, the myth tells that the Virgin had to perform three miracles : heal Juan Diego’s uncle, make beautiful species of plants bloom in the middle of winter and, thirdly, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the agricultural instrument with which the faithful gathered those flowers (ayate). The date of these events was December 12, giving rise to the date of her tribute.
Her devotion to her figure is such that in many cases, pilgrims choose to walk for days to reach the basilicas a. In addition, those who live near the temple usually prepare different types of food and drinks to deliver to those devotees who often burst into tears when they saw the church from afar. Some even do the last meters on their knees. The composition of these pilgrimages is varied, including people of different ages, sex and races.
Brief tips that can be used for your visit to the church of Guadalupe
Finally, we will discuss some tips that may be useful to you. First of all, unless something exceptional happens, the Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe is open to the faithful and the public 365 days a year. The hours are from 6 in the morning until 9 at night.
Keep in mind that there is no access cost, so you don’t have to worry about that factor if you’re traveling on a somewhat tight budget. In that sense o, you can also do the excursion on your own, without having to go on a special tour or the Turibu s, that bus that runs through the points of the city and from which you can get off and on. as many times as you want.
Finally, if you have a little slack in your budget for your trip to CDMX and you can afford the cost of a tour, we especially recommend it, since you will be able to get valuable information during your trip, being able to appreciate all the details and the history that happens before your eyes.
