Guadalupe, Mexico. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to a young Aztec, whom the Spanish called Juan Diego, and her image was imprinted on the young man’s robe. A church was built on the site. Millions of people would make pilgrimages there in the years to come, making it the second most visited Christian site in the world after the Vatican. The combined strength of Aztec and Catholic religious sentiments fused with irresistible force. In 1737, the Virgin of Guadalupe was declared the patron saint of Mexico, and in 2002, Pope John Paul II declared Juan Diego a saint according to the Catholic Church.
