The Virgin of Guadalupe first appears to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico City.

The Virgin of Guadalupe, also known as Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Spanish), is one of the most revered and iconic symbols of Mexican Catholicism. The story of the Virgin of Guadalupe is deeply intertwined with the history and culture of Mexico.

The story dates back to December 9-12, 1531, when an indigenous man named Juan Diego claimed to have encountered the Virgin Mary on the Hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. According to the legend, Mary appeared to Juan Diego as a mestiza (a woman of mixed European and indigenous ancestry) and spoke to him in Nahuatl, the indigenous language. She instructed him to go to the bishop and request the construction of a church in her honor on the hill.

Juan Diego went to the bishop, but initially, he was not believed. In a subsequent encounter with the Virgin, she asked him to gather flowers from the top of the hill, even though it was winter and flowers were not in season. Juan Diego miraculously found roses, and when he presented them to the bishop, the image of the Virgin was said to have been imprinted on his tilma (a simple cloak made of cactus fibers) as proof of the apparition.

The image on the tilma, known as the “Guadalupe image,” has become a powerful and enduring symbol. It features a young woman with indigenous features, standing on a crescent moon and adorned with rays of sunlight. Her presence is surrounded by symbols significant to both indigenous and Catholic beliefs.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was later built on the site of the apparition, and it has since become one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world. Millions of pilgrims, both Mexican and from around the globe, visit the Basilica each year to pay homage to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Virgin of Guadalupe holds a special place in Mexican culture and identity, often seen as a symbol of unity and a bridge between indigenous and European cultures. Her feast day, December 12th, is widely celebrated across Mexico and in Mexican communities around the world.

In France, a law separating church and state is passed.

A volcano on White Island, New Zealand, kills 22 people after it erupts.

A volcano on White Island, New Zealand, kills at least 18 people after it erupts.

The Genocide Convention is adopted.

The Texian Army captures San Antonio, Texas.

Inspired by the spirited leadership of Benjamin Rush Milam, the newly created Texan Army takes possession of the city of San Antonio, an important victory for the Republic of Texas in its war for independence from Mexico.

Milam was born in 1788 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He became a citizen and soldier of Mexico in 1824, when newly independent Mexico was still under a republican constitution. Like many Americans who immigrated to the Mexican state of Texas, Milam found that the government both welcomed and feared the growing numbers of Americans, and treated them with uneven fairness. When Milam heard in 1835 that Santa Ana had overthrown the Mexican republic and established himself as dictator, Milam renounced his Mexican citizenship and joined the rag-tag army of the newly proclaimed independent Republic of Texas.

After helping the Texas Army capture the city of Goliad, Milam went on a reconnaissance mission to the southwest but returned to join the army for its planned attack on San Antonio-only to learn that the generals were postponing the attack on San Antonio for the winter. Aware that Santa Ana’s forces were racing toward Texas to suppress the rebellion, Milam worried that any hesitation would spell the end of the revolution. Milam made an impassioned call for volunteers, asking: “Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?”

Inspired by Milam’s bold challenge, three hundred men did volunteer, and the Texas Army began its attack on San Antonio at dawn on December 5. By December 9, the defending forces of the Mexican army were badly beaten, and the commanding general surrendered the city. Milam, however, was not there to witness the results of his leadership–he was killed instantly by a sniper bullet on December 7. If Milam had survived, he might well have been among the doomed defenders of the Alamo that were wiped out by Santa Ana’s troops the following March.

The Texian Army captures San Antonio, Texas.

Inspired by the spirited leadership of Benjamin Rush Milam, the newly created Texan Army takes possession of the city of San Antonio, an important victory for the Republic of Texas in its war for independence from Mexico.

Milam was born in 1788 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He became a citizen and soldier of Mexico in 1824, when newly independent Mexico was still under a republican constitution. Like many Americans who immigrated to the Mexican state of Texas, Milam found that the government both welcomed and feared the growing numbers of Americans, and treated them with uneven fairness. When Milam heard in 1835 that Santa Ana had overthrown the Mexican republic and established himself as dictator, Milam renounced his Mexican citizenship and joined the rag-tag army of the newly proclaimed independent Republic of Texas.

After helping the Texas Army capture the city of Goliad, Milam went on a reconnaissance mission to the southwest but returned to join the army for its planned attack on San Antonio-only to learn that the generals were postponing the attack on San Antonio for the winter. Aware that Santa Ana’s forces were racing toward Texas to suppress the rebellion, Milam worried that any hesitation would spell the end of the revolution. Milam made an impassioned call for volunteers, asking: “Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?”

Inspired by Milam’s bold challenge, three hundred men did volunteer, and the Texas Army began its attack on San Antonio at dawn on December 5. By December 9, the defending forces of the Mexican army were badly beaten, and the commanding general surrendered the city. Milam, however, was not there to witness the results of his leadership–he was killed instantly by a sniper bullet on December 7. If Milam had survived, he might well have been among the doomed defenders of the Alamo that were wiped out by Santa Ana’s troops the following March.

Gabriel Narutowicz is elected as the first president of Poland.

The US Congress established the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War to direct the the Civil War

The follow up Nuremberg Trials begin with the “Doctors’ Trial”, in which physicians and officers alleged to be involved in Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia are prosecuted.