La Casa de la Madre de Mexico - the Mother of Mexico's House

 ofLink to  Photo album for La Basilica here.

It is impossible to overstate the cultural influence of the Virgin Mary in an otherwise macho Mexico, she was exported by the uber macho Catholic Spain in the form of the dark skinned Virgin of Guadalupe. The lovely story is that she appeared on this hillside to a poor peasant Juan Diego, impressing her image upon his cloak in a cascade of roses.

The site is also near the former temple to #Tonantzin, an Aztec mother goddess, possibly Mother Earth. In a sense the Virgin of Guadalupe now carries the lineage of #FeminineEnergy at this site. The original cloak of #JuanDiego is now housed in the current Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  You can see La Virgen from any point in the circular interior, and you can ride 2 moving sidewalks installed directly below and behind the altar, crane your head back and gaze way up at her from below. (See video clip at the end of this post!) 

The cloak is the original source image of the billions of copies and impressions of the Virgin de Guadalupe now in existence. Juan Diego has suffered perhaps the biggest copyright infringement in history. 😊

Built between 1974 and 1976, this Basilica replaces an older one that was sinking, and is still standing and still sinking nearby. Much of Mexico City is built on ancient landfill of the lakes that used to surround it, for a variety of reasons many old buildings are tilting as the ghost of the old lake tries to reclaim them.

The new Basilica can accommodate up to 10,000 people and has a circular floor plan so that the image of the Virgin can be seen from any point within the building. The area is colloquially known as "La Villa". If you haven't been, you might be surprised that the location is a good bit north of El Centro.

However, its very easy to get there- it has its own Metro stop, and if you take the bus you'll get a great visual tour of street life. Also, every taxista, uber driver or even a small child can point you in the direction of #LaVilla. Don't drive unless you have to, like everywhere else in Mexico City the traffic is thick, limited parking is available but challenging.

​ source: me and wiki

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