Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531. It was due to her appearance that the practice of human sacrifices ended.

The Aztecs had no written language, but they read the meaning in pictures and symbols just as we read newspapers. This image told the Aztecs volumes. The woman stands in front of the sun, and is therefore greater than their sun god Huitzlipochtli. She stands upon the moon, and is therefore greater than the moon god, Tezcatlipoca. She is held aloft by a winged person, which means she is a heavenly being, yet her hands are joined in prayer, which means there is one greater than she. The mantle’s bluishgreen color is reserved to Aztec divinity, yet her eyes are lowered, which means she is not a goddess herself. The sash at her waist was worn by pregnant women in Aztec culture, thus the child she carries is divine. The white fur at the neck and sleeves and the gold border are marks of royalty for the Aztecs. The stars on her mantle and the angel “carrying” her represent a new era being carried in. Touching the edge of a cloak represents a kiss, thus the angel is “kissing” the lady. The broach at her throat has the same black cross carried by Cortés and the Spanish Friars.

Because she is pregnant, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of pregnant mothers and their unborn children. Her appearance, as mentioned, ended the Aztec practise of human sacrifice. Through prayer and the intercession of Our Lady, we can change our culture of death into a culture of life.