In 1531, on a hill on the outskirts of the capital of Mexico, a heavenly figure revealing herself as "Mary, mother of all men" appeared to Amerindian Juan Diego.  The Lady not only entrusted him with several messages, but, in the final vision, left her portrait stamped on his tilma--the portrait of young woman looking downward, clothed in a dress figured with roses and a mantle figured with stars.

From the very beginning this event has moved people.  However, because of the fascination with the image itself, doubts have been raised and some have rejected it altogether.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, together with the Shroud of Jesus in Turin, has possibly become the most mysterious image on earth.  And the more studies are made of the cloth, the more mysterious it becomes, for believers and scientists alike.