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Click Here to watch our YouTube interview with Joseph and Monique González, authors of Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy.  They will accompany us throughout this pilgrimage, weaving into it this newly-discovered history.

Our pilgrimage begins with a sweeping reach back in time to 500 years ago — to the early 1500s — when the Spanish conquistadors first encountered the powerful Aztec empire. 

So we take you back to that time half a millennium ago, to the years just after the 1492 voyage of discovery by Christopher Columbus, when Christianity first came to the New World...

The Spanish sailors and soldiers brought Franciscan friars with them to preach the Christian faith to the Indigenous People — an entirely new faith for the peoples of the Americas. 

However, in just the past few years, two diligent researchers have discovered something astonishing after more than 10 years of scholarly research: the Aztecs, in the early 1500s, had already, and for many centuries, been expressing in their poetry and art a longing for a type of future existence, symbolized by a profusion of beautiful flowers, that transcended their daily life in the Aztec kingdom: a "Flower World Paradise."

Thus, when the "Good News" of Christ was preached to the Aztecs by the Spanish friars, and when, in 1531, the tilma of Juan Diego was suddenly, miraculously, filled with flowers, the Aztec people throughout the entire region of Mexico began to speak of the new faith as... the fulfillment of their own ancient longing for a "Flower World Paradise." 

In this way, the message of Christ had been prepared for centuries through a network of artistic ideas, which include indigenous flower song poems depicting an afterlife in a "Flower World Paradise" saturated with beautiful colors, sounds and the intoxicating smell of heavenly flowers.   

Juan Diego's flower-filled tilma thus arrived like a bolt of lightning, fusing the deepest faith of the Spanish conquerors with the deepest hopes of the Aztec people as for them, gathering flowers in the tilma was a metaphor for recognizing and possessing the truth.

Joseph and Monique González are the two scholars who have spent years researching the pre-Christian Aztec culture, and they will travel with us on our pilgrimage!

They will shed an entirely new light on why the Aztec people were so receptive to the message of Christianity through the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the story of St. Juan Diego who gathered the flowers of heaven in his tilma on the hilltop of Tepeyac. 

Their book, Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy: How God Prepared the Americas for Conversion Before the Lady Appeared, will be one of the key strands with which we will weave the fabric of this extraordinary pilgrimage to Guadalupe, Mexico.

Therefore not only will you see where this all happened, but you also will have a new insight into  the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe and why the 8-million-plus Aztec people were so receptive to the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“It certainly seems, in our times, in these lands and with this people, that our Lord God has willed to restore to the Church that which the demon robbed her of in England, Germany, France, Asia, and Palestine.”  — Bernardino de Sahagún, a Fransican Friar.

Bernardino de Sahagún, a Franciscan friar, exclaimed that God in His Providence was remedying the decline of the Catholics in Europe due to the Protestant Reformation, which had begun in 1519, through the millions of conversions occurring in the New World – there were between nine and ten million conversions throughout Mexico.

Highlights of our Mexico 2024 Pilgrimage:

• Carefully planned itinerary to provide you with a better appreciation of Our Lady’s apparition and message
• Joseph and Monique González, authors of Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy, will accompany us throughout the pilgrimage, weaving into it newly-discovered history
• Tour of the pyramids at Teotihuacan
• Travel to the beautiful city of Puebla, with stops at historical and religious sites along the way
• Pilgrimage to the birthplace of Juan Diego, the Cortés-built church of his baptism and the “Church of the Fifth Apparition”
• Venerate the tombs of Blessed Miguel Pro and the incorrupt Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio
• Full day at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Daily Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and other beautiful and significant churches
• Unique cultural experiences
• Deborah Tomlinson, the President of Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages, will lead this pilgrimage
• Plus many unexpected stops and grace-filled encounters along the way

Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for their own air travel for the Mexico: Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy pilgrimage.

Arrival Information (Individual):

• Airport: Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
• Date: Friday, September 20, 2024 (Day 1 of the pilgrimage)
• Time: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Local Time)
• Transfer: Individual transfer from the airport to the hotel in Rome

We recommend arriving one day early, on Thursday, September 19, 2024, to allow for rest and more flexibility with flight options. If you choose to arrive early, please contact our office for assistance with booking the recommended early arrival hotel.

If you stay at the recommended early arrival hotel, we will provide a transfer from the airport directly to that hotel.

If you decide to stay at a different hotel, we will arrange a transfer from your chosen hotel to the designated hotel where the pilgrimage starts on Day 1.

Departure Information (Individual):

• Airport: Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
• Date: Friday, September 27, 2024 (Day 8 of the pilgrimage)
• Time: After 10:00 AM (Local Time)
• Transfer: Individual transfer to the airport at 7:00 AM

Recommended Travel Agency:

For booking flights, Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages recommends using Gulliver's Travel. Cindy McCoy, an experienced travel agent at Gulliver's Travel, will handle your airline reservations and then forward them to our office, making the process seamless for you!

• Travel Agent: Cindy McCoy
• Email: cindy@gullivers.com
• Phone: +1.817.924.7766

Contact Information:

For any other questions, please call the U.S. Office: +1.202.536.4555

With more than 30 years of publishing Inside the Vatican magazine, we have colleagues and friends all over the world — and many of them have become part of our Pilgrimage family. Designing an Inside the Vatican pilgrimage begins with a theme or a particular country; then we weave in encounters with real people who live and work there, as well as those with expert knowledge in its historical and spiritual perspectives. Each day we will have the opportunity to attend Mass. Our itineraries include both world-renowned and little-known places, and every detail has been arranged to create a truly unique experience; we do not have cookie-cutter pilgrimages! Whether you choose one of our intimate-sized Signature Pilgrimages,  or a Classic Pilgrimage with budget-friendly pricing, we work hard to ensure that every pilgrimage is a moving experience, an authentic spiritual journey for each pilgrim.

Call our U.S. Office: +1.202.536.4555  Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET. If you call after hours, leave a message. You can email our office: Pilgrimages@InsideTheVatican.com. 

Before you book your trip with us, please read carefully our Terms and Conditions

Call us to inquire about any applicable discounts: U.S. Office +1 202.536.4555  Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET. You can email our office: Pilgrimages@InsideTheVatican.com. 

After you arrive in Mexico City, our private drivers will be waiting to take you to your hotel for the next 7 nights – in the historical center of Mexico City!   In the late afternoon, we will gather for our first Mass together then enjoy a delicious Mexican dinner. 

Dinner included.

We begin our first full day on pilgrimage with Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Afterward, we will take time to encounter Our Lady in the tilma.  It is said that she is still appearing – experts believe it is a "continuing" apparition of Our Lady! 

We then head 27 miles northeast of Mexico City to visit Teotihuacan, which is a vast Mexican archaeological complex. Running down the middle of the site, which was once a flourishing pre-Columbian city, is the Avenue of the Dead. It links the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, the latter two with panoramic views from their summits.

Time permitting, upon our return to Mexico City, we will walk through Chapultepec Park to the Fountain of Nezahualcoyotl. The fountain is a beautiful monument carved with scenes from the life of the fifteenth-century ruler of the Aztec city-state Tetzcoco, Nezahualcoyotl.  Nezahualcoyotl was considered by his peers to be the greatest poet of ancient Mexico.  Joseph and Monique will use this background to further explain the setting for the arrival of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Aztec people. 

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Our Sunday will begin with Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption, a short walk from our hotel.  

The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the most important churches in America; its majestic proportions make it a masterpiece. It frames the north side of the Plaza de la Constitución, the capital's main square - also known as the Zócalo, and is the most representative monument of the Historic Center of Mexico City. Its prolonged construction from 1573 to 1813 is a compendium of architectural styles that successively predominated in the New Spain era. 

After Mass, we will enjoy a walk through the Zócalo on our way to the Templo Mayor, a museum of the pre-Hispanic and colonial heritage of Mexico.  

Lunch will be a relaxing traditional Mexican meal. After lunch, we'll take a short walk to the Plaza of Santo Domingo to visit the first church built by the Dominicans in 1576. Housed within is the first rosary shrine in Mexico, Our Lady of the Rosary and a second shrine, Our Lady of Covadonga (the headquarters of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, founded in 1538). 

Late afternoon and evening will be free time. 

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Our day begins pilgrimaging to Huejotzingo, a town 70 miles east of Mexico City, which was both a corridor and seat of different cultures; it is believed that human groups have inhabited this place for more than 1,500 years.   

The Franciscans founded the Monastery of San Miguel Arcángel in 1525, in an area outside of the pre-Hispanic settlement of Huejotzingo.  Its early founding makes it one of the oldest monasteries in the Americas, and one of the first four Franciscan monasteries established in New Spain.  Here, Joseph & Monique talk about the aspects of Aztec culture like the Poets Conference and Nahua Philosophy. 

Our journey continues to the magnificent Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies Church), a 16th-century Catholic parish church built atop the Tlachihualtepetl pyramid in the municipality of Cholula; then we are onto the beautiful city of Puebla, where we will visit Cathedral de Puebla, a baroque-style cathedral in the city center; Our Lady of the Rosary chapel in Santo Domingo Church, one of Mexico’s most beautiful baroque chapels; and the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, which contains the incorrupt body of Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio.

Lunch will be in the center of Puebla.  The local Parian market, known for its colorful, glazed pottery, will be our last stop before heading back to Mexico City. 

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Today, we pilgrimage to Cuautitlan to visit the Santuario El Cerrito, St. Juan Diego’s birthplace, and to the Church of the Fifth Apparition  - Santa Maria Tulpetlac.

Although Santa Maria Tulpetlac is a very simple building, it is considered to be one of the holiest churches in Mexico City. The Church was constructed over the ruins of the home of Juan Bernardino, St. Juan Diego's uncle who was miraculously cured of an illness, and is commonly known as the Church of the Fifth Apparition. There is a plaque in the sacristy that states that Pope Pius XII granted a plenary indulgence to those who visit this church and who meet the normal requirements necessary for a plenary indulgence. Pilgrims can get some water from the well which is beneath the church’s altar and is believed to be the healing spring of Juan Diego.  St. John Paul II designated this church as the World Center of Healing.

We continue on to Tlaltelolco, where Juan Diego was baptized and received his catechetical instructions. He was heading here on that momentous Saturday morning of December 9, 1531, when he would encounter Our Lady of Guadalupe for the first time.  

Located at the ancient marketplace that fed Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztecs, this site is home to the first school of higher learning built in the Americas. Initially the primary site of evangelization from 1526 (two years after the Franciscan friars arrived), the friars learned and practiced the local lingua franca, Nahuátl at this location. Over time, it developed into the primary educational site for the entire region. It is where St. Juan Diego was traveling to receive the Sacraments when he encountered Our Lady of Guadalupe and all the important Guadalupe documents were created at this location, as well as the Cantares Mexicanos – the collection of Nahuátl songs/poems recorded in the 16th century. 

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Our entire day will be spent at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and its environs, where we will attend Mass and learn more about this very special place. The 18th-century Antigua Basílica is now the Museo de la Basilica de Guadalupe, which houses a fine collection of colonial art interpreting the miraculous vision; the Capilla del Cerrito (Hill Chapel), where Juan Diego had his vision; the Parque de la Ofrenda, with gardens and waterfalls around a sculpted scene of the apparition; the Templo del Pocito, a circular structure to commemorate the miraculous appearance of a spring where the Virgen de Guadalupe stood; and the 17th-century Antigua Parroquia de Indios (Parish of Indians).

Around 1700, to accommodate the faithful flock, the four-towered Basílica de Guadalupe was erected at the site of an earlier shrine. But by the 1970s, the old yellow-domed building (now called the Antigua Basílica) proved inadequate to the task, so the new blue-roofed Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was built next door. Designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, it is a vast, round, open-plan structure with a capacity of more than 40,000 people. The image of the Virgin, dressed in a green mantle trimmed with gold, hangs above and behind the main altar of the basílica, where moving walkways bring visitors as close as possible. Mass is celebrated hourly.

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Today, we visit the Church of the Holy Family which contains the shrine of Blessed Miguel Pro.  

Blessed Miguel was a Jesuit priest, executed for exercising his priestly duties during the persecution of the Catholic Church under President Elias Calles in the 1920s. Beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1988, Fr. Miguel was an inspirational figure as Mexico rebuilt its Catholic institutions following President Calles's reign.

We continue south to Coyoacan to visit the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, one of the oldest churches in all of Mexico City. The colorful Xochimilco canals are our next stop, where we will enjoy a ride in a trajinera boat – a local Mexican tradition. This area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its stunning natural and cultural beauty. 

Our final dinner will be a Mexican feast with song and dance! 

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Breakfast Included.