The Guadalupe Basilica is one of the holiest places in Catholicism. The second most visited temple in the world after St. Peter; it annually receives 40 million visitors between pilgrims and tourists. Every day thousands of people on pilgrimage climb up the Calzada de Guadalupe. They come from all quarters of the city, from all cities and towns in Mexico, from around the world.
On top of the Tepeyac hill -where Tonantzin was previously worshipped- the Virgen appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. Today it is the Villa de Guadalupe, a complex of religious buildings including the Basilica itself, the Capilla de Indios, the Cerrito Chapel, the Tepeyac Cemetery, the Pocito Chapel, the Temple and former convent of the Capuchin nuns, the Templo Expiatorio a Cristo Rey, the Basilica Museum, the Baptistery and the Plaza Mariana.
The Basilica is of modern construction. It was designed to accommodate 10,000 worshipers, and to facilitate the view from any point of the famous and mysterious cloth with the image of the Virgin, which today continues to intrigue the world.
