The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the north of Mexico City, is the most-visited Catholic shrine in the Americas and one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world. It honours the Virgin of Guadalupe, venerated by millions of Mexican and Latin American Catholics as a symbol of faith and national identity.
The complex spans the original 18th-century basilica, now leaning visibly on the soft subsoil, and the vast modern circular New Basilica completed in 1976. Inside the new church, moving walkways carry pilgrims past the famous tilma bearing the image of the Virgin, allowing the constant flow of visitors to see it without crowding.
The site is busiest around 12 December, the feast day, when huge numbers of pilgrims converge. The basilica is open daily from early morning to evening with masses throughout the day; dress respectfully and allow time to climb Tepeyac Hill behind the church for its gardens and chapels.
