Our Lady of Guadalupe Medals

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in 1531 to a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous man named Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. She identified herself as the Mother of the True God and left her image miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma — a cloak made of cactus fiber — as a sign to the bishop who had requested proof of the apparition. The image remains on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which is the most visited Catholic church in the world after the Vatican. She is the patroness of Mexico, the Americas, and unborn children, and her feast day is December 12.

The tilma of Juan Diego is a cloak woven from cactus-plant fibers on which the full-color image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared miraculously on December 12, 1531. Cactus-cloth garments typically deteriorate within twenty years, yet the tilma shows no signs of decay nearly five centuries later. Scientific studies have found no underdrawing, no brushstrokes, and no sizing on the cloth — the image has no known human explanation for how it was made. The pupils of the image's eyes contain microscopic reflections of human figures consistent with what an eye would see at the moment the tilma was opened before the bishop. The original tilma hangs above the high altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where it has been venerated continuously since 1531.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of Mexico (since 1737), the Americas (declared by Pope Pius X in 1910), the Philippines, all of Latin America, and unborn children (Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her protection in 1999). She is also venerated as a patroness by indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her feast day is December 12, which Pope John Paul II declared a liturgical holy day for the entire continent in 1999.

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12, commemorating the day in 1531 when Juan Diego opened his tilma before the bishop and the miraculous image was revealed. In 1999, Pope John Paul II declared December 12 a liturgical holy day for the entire American continent. The nine days before the feast — December 3 through 11 — are traditionally observed as the Guadalupe Novena, one of the most widely celebrated novenas in the Catholic world. Many Catholic parishes of Latino heritage celebrate with Mañanitas — a predawn serenade — on the morning of December 12.

An Our Lady of Guadalupe medal is a Catholic devotional pendant bearing the image of the Blessed Virgin as she appeared on the tilma of St. Juan Diego — standing on a crescent moon, surrounded by rays of divine light, with a star-covered mantle and hands joined in prayer. The medal is a sacramental: when blessed by a Catholic priest, it becomes a sacred object through which the Church's prayer and Mary's intercession are invoked over the wearer. Our Guadalupe medals are handcrafted in the USA by Bliss Manufacturing in sterling silver and 14kt gold filled, with a lifetime guarantee.

An Our Lady of Guadalupe medal is especially meaningful for December 12 (the feast day), Quinceañera (the Catholic coming-of-age celebration at fifteen), Baptism and First Communion, graduation, Mother's Day, wedding anniversaries, and any occasion where a Catholic of Mexican or Latin American heritage is being honored. It is also a meaningful pro-life gift, as Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of unborn children. Many families give a Guadalupe medal at Baptism as a first sacramental and pass the devotion from one generation to the next.

Sterling silver medals are .925 pure silver with a classic bright finish. They are the most popular choice for everyday devotional wear and represent excellent value. Gold filled medals have a thick layer of 14kt gold bonded under heat and pressure to a base metal core — they will not flake, chip, or tarnish under normal conditions and carry the same lifetime guarantee as sterling silver. Gold filled is the more premium gift option, ideal for Quinceañeras, weddings, and significant occasions where a lasting piece is appropriate. Both materials are available in our Our Lady of Guadalupe collection.

Yes. Every Our Lady of Guadalupe medal in our collection is handcrafted by Bliss Manufacturing in the United States. Each medal is die-struck for crisp detail, hand-finished, and individually inspected. Bliss Manufacturing is the most trusted name in Catholic medals and carries a lifetime guarantee on every piece — if a medal ever tarnishes or a manufacturing defect appears, it is replaced at no charge.

Yes, and a blessing greatly enhances its spiritual significance. Any Catholic priest can bless the medal in a brief ceremony. When blessed, it becomes a sacramental — a sacred object through which the Church's prayer is attached to the medal and Mary's intercession is invoked for the wearer. The medal is not a good luck charm or a talisman; it is a visible sign of the wearer's devotion to Our Lady and a daily invitation to seek her intercession. Many families have Guadalupe medals blessed by their parish priest on or near the feast day of December 12.

St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was a fifty-seven-year-old indigenous Chichimec man who had converted to Christianity and to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared four times in December 1531. His willingness to carry her message to the bishop, and his care of the tilma in which her image appeared, made the miracle available to the world. He spent the rest of his life as a hermit near the site of the apparition, tending the first chapel built in Mary's honor. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on July 31, 2002. His feast day is December 9, the anniversary of the first apparition. His medal is a meaningful companion to an Our Lady of Guadalupe medal.