Our Mother waiting for us on Tepeyac Hill (Photos)

Visiting the apparition site of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is more accessible than you may think and a pilgrimage well worth making.

Recently, my husband and I took a flight from the United States to Mexico City; visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her tilma -- St. Juan Diego’s garment that was miraculously imprinted with an image of Our Lady --  was my top priority. Traffic aside, the Shrine is a short distance from most places in the City and our simplest recommendation is just to take an Uber or an official taxi, which will drop you off right in front of the Shrine’s Visitor Center.

There are several important spots to visit during any pilgrimage and the first is the tilma itself. From the Visitor’s Entrance we wandered up a ramp and found ourselves in an immense, modern shrine (built in 1976). There above the altar, was an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I must admit that I turned to my husband and asked, “Do you think that’s the real one? I can imagine they might have copies around the pilgrimage site.” Well, the answer to my questions were yes and yes. Yes, the image above the altar was the actual tilma. And, yes, there are a number of other copies found throughout the grounds.

To get a closer look at the miraculous image of Mary, there is a ramp behind the altar that leads to a tunnel of sorts underneath the tilma. We had the heads-up that there is a moving walkway (like you’d find in the airport) that facilitates people seeing the tilma close up without there being a huge, unmoving crowd.

As it turns out, we were there on a day that wasn’t crowded, so we were able to take the walkway and then stand on one end of it to see the garment more closely and pray. In a world full of AI images and endless copies, it was striking to gaze at the tilma and know in your gut that it is authentic. Mary really did appear to Juan Diego hundreds of years ago, right here in Mexico.

Speaking of the apparition site, another important spot to visit is a short climb away. Across a piazza suited for large gatherings, there is a set of stairs (and also a ramp) up Tepeyac Hill. There at the top of the hill is a chapel built at the place where Mary appeared in 1531. My architect husband declared this his favorite part of the visit - supposedly not only for the beautiful architecture and mosaics of the chapel, but also to stand where Mary had stood centuries ago and, indeed, asked Juan Diego to build a church. On a side note, you can get a really fantastic view of Mexico City from just outside the chapel.

The pilgrimage grounds have more to offer if you have the time to explore. The older Basilica built in 1709 is still in use and is a quieter place for prayer.

There is also a museum adjacent to the Basilica that gives more context to Tepeyac Hill with artifacts and historical displays. There is a Dominican-led church, the Chapel of St. Juan Diego. I also especially enjoyed an outdoor spot featuring a statue of St. Juan Diego displaying the tilma. How beautiful it is to have many spots for reflection, prayer, and Mass.

It's worth noting a couple practical items for your visit. We spent two hours there, but on a more crowded day or if you were able to spend more time, you could easily spend half a day.

There are Masses most hours of the day so if you’re hoping to get to Mass at the shrine, planning for it is no problem at all!

Confessions are heard frequently. We did not see signs on the Confessionals about priests available in other languages, but apparently if you ask staff they can probably direct you to a priest who understands your language!

There are paid restrooms, so bring some small coins to get in. And although I’m a seasoned traveler, this was my first time experiencing having to pay separately for entrance to the restrooms and then for toilet paper, so be prepared!

There are also places to buy snacks and below the basilica there are dozens of stores to buy an assortment of religious items, from authentic replicas of the tilma, to Guadalupe jewelry of all kinds, and an assortment of other items for every budget.

The Virgin of Guadalupe famously said to St. Juan Diego, "Am I not here, I who am your mother?" (¿No estoy yo aquí, que soy tu madre?). What I overwhelmingly took away from my visit to Tepeyac Hill is that her words are meant for me as well.

As Patroness of the Americas, the pilgrimage site is an important one throughout the Americas. Our visit was seamless, prayerful, and one that I would recommend to single people, couples, or families hoping to draw closer to Our Lady.