The Guadalupe Event

Part I

 

By Johannes Fiebag, Ph.D.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Introduction

The significance of apparitions for the hypothesis of historical, as well as current encounters of extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs), does not seem to have been fully comprehended until now. Apparitions are normally rejected by scientists and are usually accepted by theologians. Apparitions of the Virgin Mary are normally only accepted by the Catholic church.

This, however, appears to be a serious misinterpretation (Fiebag 1986, 1995). One alternative explanation relates to the objective and perceptible secondary phenomena of present day UFO events. In many ways these modern events parallel the series of apparitions that occurred in 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, (Vallée 1975, and Keel 1971).

Such phenomena include disks, like an “aircraft of light,” described exactly in these terms by the witnesses of the fifth apparition. Also observed were double supersonic detonations, light protuberances, electro-static charges, moving “stars,” mysterious white flowers or snow that dropped down from the “aircraft of light,” but disappeared when it made contact with the ground. These descriptions of “snow” or mysterious white “flowers” are quite similar to the descriptions of “angel hair” that are well known from some famous UFO cases.

With the Fatima case, there is also the likelihood of the physical manipulation of the three visionaries by an unknown medicine or drug-like mixture. This is inferred from the fact that some kind of unusual time-lapse occurred to the three children. The final and strongest event that leads researchers to believe this was much more than an apparition are the reports of a rotating silvery disk. This disk was observed by as many as 70,000 people who mistakenly believed it to be the sun.

In keeping with the apparition / UFO connection hypothesis, the figure of the Virgin Mary could be interpreted as some kind of holographic projection. This projection could be similar, but not identical to modern holographic three dimensional laser photos. Holographic projections have also been reported in recent UFO cases. The “beautiful woman” could have been a virtual figure. Utilizing a highly developed technology, it would be able to effect its environment for and during the time of the apparition, and be visible for the visionaries and sometimes for other witnesses as well.

This holographic theory also applies to other apparitions or possibly even a series of apparitions. For example, apparitions that occurred in Heroldsbach, Germany, Eisenberg, Austria, Montichiari, Italy, and Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, (Fiebag, 1995). This interpretation corresponds with both the Leaky-Embargo-Hypothesis developed by Professor James Deardorff (1986), as well as with my own Mimikry-Hypothesis (Fiebag, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995).

The Mimikry-Hypothesis tries to explain the various apparitions and behaviors of possible ETIs throughout the centuries by suggesting that we consider them as virtual manifestations that have been adapted to our cultural-sociological and religions belief systems, as well as our fantasies, imaginations, and expectations. Apparitions of the Virgin Mary would seem to be a logical form of communication initiated by ETIs and directed to us.  

The History of the Guadalupe Event

Another important case involving apparitions are the apparitions of Guadalupe, Mexico, in the year 1531. I have chosen this case because it is one of the few cases with a physical artifact still in existence today. This artifact not only indicates that apparitions are real, but that there is a real connection to a strange alien intelligence.

The original report of the series of apparitions of Guadalupe was written down by the Aztec nobleman Antonio Valeriano. He translated it in 1649 from older Spanish texts into the Mexican dialect Nahuatl and titled it Nican Mopuhua. For the past several centuries the original Spanish reports have been missing, so the Nican Mopuhua is the oldest text of the event in existence today (Siller, 1984). 

The Event

Before the sun rose on the 9th of December 1531, Juan Diego, then 57 years old, began walking from his small village of Tolpetlac to the town of Tlatilolco, nine miles away. He wanted to take part in the holy mass while he was there. Juan Diego was an Aztec Indian, who six years before, converted to Christianity. The route he took led him through stony fields and over small hills. In the vicinity of a small hillock, which is known to the Indians as “Tepeyac” and later became the Spanish name “Guadalupe,” he became aware that he was hearing an unknown, unearthly music. This music was coming from the top of the hill.

In the Nican Mopuhua we find the following:

To that place he looked up to the hillock, to the side where the sun was rising and from where the wonderful singing originated.


And when the singing suddenly stopped, when it was no longer perceivable, he heard how someone from the top of the hillock called, how someone said: “Juan Diego!”


And when he reached the top of the hill, he saw a noble lady standing there. She invited him to come nearer.


Her garment shined like the sun, as if it was reflected by light, and the stone, the rock on which her feet stood, as if it sparkled of beams; the glow of her gleamed like jewels, like the most beautiful ornament, the Earth, as if it was shining in the glow of the rainbow.

Juan Diego fell down on his knees. The apparition once more spoke to him and named herself as the “perfect holy Virgin Mary.” She claimed to have come so that the people would build her a sanctuary on the Tepeyac. She said that Juan Diego was the chosen messenger who should bring this request to the bishop of Mexico City.

Juan Diego went on his way toward the city. After he arrived he had to wait several hours until he was admitted to see bishop Juan de Zumárraga. The bishop listened to him tell his story, but he did not believe his allegations. He sent Juan Diego away with the comment that he wanted to deal with the subject later. Disappointed, Juan Diego went back to the Tepeyac. When he arrived, he again met with the “queen of the heavens.” He bewailed his misfortune and asked her to choose another messenger, preferably someone who was better prepared for the mission. However, the Virgin stressed, “It is absolutely necessary that you go personally and that you request that my Will be carried out.”

The next day Juan Diego met the bishop for a second time. The bishop was obviously very astonished about Juan Diego’s persistence, but he was still not ready to believe him. He sent Juan back and asked him to request some kind of evidence so the bishop could really believe that the “queen of the heavens” had really sent him.

Once again Juan Diego returned to the Tepeyac where the mysterious woman was waiting for him. He informed her about the bishop’s request and the Virgin replied:

It’s all very well my little son. Tomorrow you shall come back to this place and then you will bring the bishop the evidence he demands. Now, go! I will wait for you here tomorrow.

The following morning, the 12th of December 1531, some extraordinary and important events occurred. In the Nican Mopuhua we find the following:

She said to him, “Go up my smallest son, on the top of the hill where you have seen me and where I gave the orders to you. You will see different flowers there. Pick them, collect them, put them together. Then come back down to me, bring them to me, to my presence.”


And Juan Diego went up on the hill, and when he reached the top he admired the flowers and was surprised at how many different types of blooming flowers there were. They were nice and beautiful even though it wasn’t their time to bloom. At that time of the year everything was covered with frost.

The Nican Mopuhua repeatedly states how wonderful and amazing this was. In spite of the strong winter there on the top of the Tepeyac, beautiful flowers were blooming. This was occurring in a place where even in the summertime nothing more was normally found besides “a lot of rough rocks, prickly pears, brambles, nopals, and mesquite cactuses.”

Juan Diego picked the flowers as he was ordered to and put them into his tilma, an upper garment similar to an apron. Then he went back to the light figure who was waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. “...and as she saw the flowers, she took them with her venerable hands, then she put them back into his tilma and she said to him:

My smallest son, these various flowers are the evidence, the sign, that you shall bring to the bishop. In my name you shall tell him, so that he will be able to recognize my request and shall consequently turn my desire into reality. And you, who are my messenger, into you is set absolute confidence. And I command you with great stringency that nowhere else than in the presence of the bishop shall you open your tilma and show him what you are bearing.”

Once more, Juan Diego went his way down, and once more he had to wait several hours until he received permission to meet the bishop. This time he was not alone in the room with him. Some high officials of the church and some other Indians were present. Juan Diego fell down on his knees in front of bishop Zumárraga. He told him what happened and that he had picked the flowers on the Tepeyac and that this was the evidence he had requested. The Nican Mopuhua reports as follows:

“Here they are, please receive them. And then he opened his white tilma in which she had put the flowers. And at that moment, when the splendid flowers fell down to the ground, there the tilma transformed into an omen. Suddenly, there appeared the beloved image of the Perfect Lady, of the Holy Virgin Mary. When the bishop and all of those who were there in the room recognized it, they fell down on their knees and admired it greatly.”

Faced with this evidence, Zumárraga was finally convinced: as the apparition ordered on the top of the Tepeyac, a little chapel was built. In 1695 it was replaced by a large cathedral. In 1754, Pope Benedict the 14th recognized The Miracle of Guadalupe (which is the name that replaced the original Tepeyac).

Forthcoming popes not only place emphasis on the validity of this apparition, but have also granted Guadalupe a higher status. In 1976, a new basilica was built that has a capacity to hold ten thousand people.

John Paul II was the first pope to visit Guadalupe in 1981, 450 years after the apparitions first appeared. He visited again in the Spring of 1990. Today, Guadalupe is an integrated part of the capital of Mexico. More than 20 million pilgrims travel to Guadalupe every year and it is one of the biggest sanctuaries of the Catholic church. 

Continue Reading Part II: The Mysterious Properties of the Tilma

This article is published with the expressed written permission of Johannes Fiebag for publication on alienjigsaw.com

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