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We've been planning to stay in the Mexico City on our way back from Lima. We had the chance to visit the Basilica of Guadalupe. It is our group's tradition to visit  the religious places to increase our faith and get closer to God. The pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine was beautiful, spiritual and faith filled.

Here are some facts about the place.
In the winter of 1531, 10 years after the Spanish defeated the Aztecs a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a poor farmer, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Mary asked Juan Diego to climb the hill where he would find special proof of the divine appearance to take to the Bishop. On top of the hill, Juan Diego surprisingly found flowers, in spite of the winter frost. He picked them up and bundled them inside his cloak. When he went to the Bishop's house to give him the flowers the image of the Virgin Mary appeared on the inside of his cloak, or tilma. This is the portrait that hangs in the Basilica today. Since that day the whole Indian community took the Virgin Mary as their patroness. 
The original Basilica of Our Lady (the Antigua Basilica) dates from 1536 and still stands. However, the structure weakened over the years and the massive congregation outgrew the modest-sized basilica. Therefore a new Basilica of Guadalupe was built in 1976 by the Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vásquez . The Basilica has the circular floor plan which allows visitors to see the image of the Virgin from any point. The image of the Virgin is hung above moving walkways that carry the visitors back and forth in front of it.

Click a picture to see a larger view.

Early afternoon we visited the ancient Aztec city - Teotihuacán. It is  located about 30 miles of Mexico City. Many people believe that Teotihuacán is the place full of great energy. We witnessed people meditating at the top of main pyramids.