In December, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to a Mexican peasant, Juan Diego, and his uncle, Juan Bernardino, at a place called the hill of Tepayac, near present-day Mexico City, asking that a church be built in her honor on the site. Juan Diego told the Archbishop of Mexico City of the apparition, but the archbishop didn’t believe him. The same day, the Virgin again spoke to Juan Diego, insisting he press the archbishop about the matter of building the church. This time, the archbishop directed Juan Diego to ask the Virgin for a tangible sign of her presence. In the early ...