Pilgrimage To The Guadalupe Shrine

We started our day late because we were so tired the previous day roaming around the streets of Zocalo and toured the whole city through the Turibus and the toll of the long hours of walking and sitting the bus was already givng us a payback. It was a very exhausted night but we have to start waking up because we have a very long day ahead.

Today we planned to go to the Basilica of the Guadalupe and then in the late afternoon we have to go to Teotihuacan and off to Puebla after that. It was a long plan and we have to get up early. But the more we pressured ourselves to get up early the slower we moved and we left the hotel at 1100H which was already late.

We drove suth going to the Guadalupe Shrine but the traffic was so thick so my guide has to reroute several times until we get to our final destination. Whew... that was a lot of driving yet he knows what to do. We arrived at the Shrine after one hour then we started to roam around.

We went to the basilica after we parked our car at the basement. There was a big mass being held inside the basilica and we have to squeeze ourselves in with the crowds in order to get to the front and start snapping pictures of the picture of the Guadalupe. It was funny because when we get to the front there was an escalator that bring revelers in front of the pictures and there we started to snap more pictures. I don't remember how many times we went ack and forth and back and forth until we got the perfect picture of the blessed virgin.

After that we got out of the basilica and toured around the vicinity. Firstly, we went to peruse the little museu of the Guadalupe and there we saw some postcards sent for the blessed virgin and also some artifacts left by thebelievers for her to bless and a lot of painting of the Guadalupe virgin. It was a large collection that they have to put up a museum for all those things and artifacts.

When we got out of the museum we went up the hill to see the little chapel on the top. The stairsgoing on top of the hill looks pretty good because there were tiles placed on each steps. There were also arches with topiaries in each three steps untl you get to the top. As we go up there we can see the view of the whole place which even looked pretty at the very top.

When we get to the top we went in the chapel and saw another replica of the Guadalupe painting and we have to line up in order to go to the front. On the sides was a glass cabinet full of things that were thrown there for the blessed mother t bless. It was so surprsing how fanatic these people adoring the blessed mother.

The ceiling were also adorned with pink garlands and the paintings were so awesome like a common Renaissance painting painted by a Renaissance artist. It was pretty to look at.

When we got aoutside of the chapel there was a big patio on the second level where you can see the whole aeral ve of he city. We snapped some pictures from there. There was also a crypt on the right side of the chapel and also some c=vendor stores at the back selling religious artig=facts and also food for the revelers.

After seeing what's in the chapel we continued walking on the left side stairs adorned with topiaried arches and tiles on the stairs, we then went to the garden depicting how the indians praised the virgin mother. There was a big group of statues depicting this kind of story on the garden near the small man made falls.

We the ambled back to the basilica and we were presented with a very huge and spacious plaza where we can see the basilica of the Guadalupe Virgin as well as the two sinking church with an orange dome and the other dome was colored yellow. There was also a big cross in the middle of the concrete lawn with two big watches on both sides.

The plaza was very huge and spacious and can able to accommodate like hundreds and thousands of people if there is a big special religious celebration. No wonder the Guadalpe was very famous around the world.

The atmosphere aound the place as very solemn and you can feel the good aura of hopeful people with a huge faith in their hearts. It was very infectious wo observe it from the revelers. There was simplicity on their attitude and belief and I was so touched about it.

The goal of ths pilgrimage was to see the blessed virgin and asked her some help to heal me of my illness and whatever burdens I have and I am also asking her to help my best friend Doreen Jardeleza on her fight to battle bone cancer. I hope she heard my prayers and that I will be spared to be more healthy so that I can make more travels in the future.

The shrine is a symbol of faith and belief for the Mexican people, not just them but probably for me for I myself is a very religious person and believes in the Virgin Mary. I am glad my guide had the chance to show me the church and I am so thankful that I've met the blessed Virgin.