Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Juan Diego, an indigenous convert, reported apparitions on Tepeyac hill in December 1531; the image is said to have appeared on his tilma of cactus fibre when he opened it to release the roses. Twenty million visit each year, peaking around 12 December. A moving walkway runs beneath the tilma to keep the queue flowing. The image became the central symbol of Mexican Catholic identity and of the independence movement.