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The year is 1623. A family of aerial acrobats was traveling through the towns and villages of rural New Spain. One of their stops was San Juan Bautista Mezquititlán, a small town in what is now the northeastern part of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Soon after they arrived the acrobats set up their poles and ropes and were eager to perform to the delight of the villagers that evening. To heighten the suspense of their show, the father of the acrobatic family instructed that daggers facing upward should be inserted into the dirt beneath their performance space, which was routine for them to do. Audiences were always thrilled at the element of danger that the daggers introduced. That afternoon, while practicing, one of the girls of the family, who was about 7 at the time, was swinging on the ropes, lost her grip, then slipped and fell into the field of daggers. Her panicked parents, horrified at the sight, rushed to her aid, but she was already dead.
The parents later took the girl’s body to the local chapel to be anointed by the parish priest and to be prepared for burial. The caretaker of the chapel, an elderly native woman named Ana Lucía Antes who was very close to her 80th year, had heard of the tragic accident before the parents arrived with the little girl’s body. Ana Lucía had fetched a tattered statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception to present it to the parents. This statue had been brought to the village in 1542 by a Spanish priest and at the time of the accident it was nearly 90 years old. It had been made in the traditional Purépecha Indian way of plastering a mixture of corn meal and orchid juice to a wooden frame to mold the figure, a folk art method that is still in use today. Because of 
how it was made, the figure had not stood the test of time very well. The Virgin statue had always been special to Ana Lucía and when it was retired from the main church she kept it in her own quarters. She claimed that she was able to talk directly to the Virgin Mary through the statue, and that the statue talked back. Many villagers thought her to be eccentric, but the deeply devoted Ana Lucía was so convinced of the statue’s power that she told the parents of the deceased girl to have faith in God and the Virgin Mary and to pray for their little girl who was then lifeless and wrapped in a burial shroud before them. Ana Lucía placed her beloved statue on the girl’s lifeless body and a small group of people who had gathered there began to pray. Within the hour, they detected movement within the shroud and then they all heard the muffled soft voice of the little girl calling for her mother. The father unwrapped the shroud and the little girl emerged, unscathed. News of the miracle traveled fast and even caught the faraway attention of the King of Spain who, by royal decree, granted the town the right to incorporate as a city to henceforth be known as San Juan de Los Lagos.
The story of the traveling aerialists does not end with the resurrection of their little girl. The father of the acrobat family wanted to show his devotion to the Virgin and to give thanks to the small chapel of the town. He asked if he could borrow the Virgin statue to have it refurbished in Guadalajara. The parish priest gave him permission to take the statue to the regional capital. There, the acrobat met an unnamed artist who completely redid the statue, even giving it elegant clothing and an elaborate golden Byzantine-type crown. Her face is smooth and her hands are folded delicately in prayer. She stands less than 2 feet tall on a crescent moon, as is typical of many representations of the Virgin Mary throughout Mexico, as an unconscious tribute to the memory of the pre-Columbian moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. The statue now is pretty much the same as it was after its refurbishment almost 400 years ago. It remains today in a building on the same site of the original miracle, incased in glass and with two silver angels flying above it holding a banner boldly proclaiming in Latin, Mater Immaculata ora pro nobis. This translates in English to “Immaculate Mother pray for us.”
Since the story of the acrobat’s daughter in 1643 there have been tens of thousands of reports of miracles, intercessions and favors granted that have been attributed to the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos. In the mid-17th Century news of the miracles of the Virgin spread like wildfire through colonial New Spain and the small chapel devoted to the statue could not handle the increasing influx of pilgrims, some of whom traveled from hundreds of miles away. To accommodate the growing number of visitors, in 1732 construction began on a much larger church made mostly of pink sandstone, with work on the main building completed by 1779. It would take 11 more years to finish the impressively towering baroque spires that would cap off the new church. The shrine is accented in Tuscan columns and cornices with the main altar fashioned of sandstone and cypress wood, done in neoclassical style. Behind the altar are 6 original oil paintings by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The various construction and renovation projects occurring at the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos complex have been completely funded by a steady flow of gifts to the shrine. In 
the 1970s, two hundred years after the completion of the new church, the Vatican declared the church to be a basilica. The Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos currently attracts 7 million visitors annually from all over the world with one million of them coming for the fiestas devoted to the Virgin in late January and early February. Another important devotional date is August 15th. It was on that date in 1904 when then Pope Pius the Tenth granted the statue a canonical coronation thus further sanctifying it and solidifying it as one of the major Catholic pilgrimage sites in all of Latin America.
To the right of the main entrance to the basilica is a room meant for devotions. A faithful person will make a promise to the Virgin and if the person’s prayers are answered the person will undertake a pilgrimage to the shrine and may leave something there. Sociologists call this exchange “petitionary devotion” where there is a reciprocity attached to holy sites or objects. In the words of Frank Graziano, author of the book Miraculous Images and Votive Offerings in Mexico, the writer states:
“Devotion to miraculous images is concerned almost exclusively with petitioning sacred power for purposes that range from banal desires to resolution of life-threatening crises. It is a practical, goal-directed, utilitarian devotion; a survival strategy; a way of interpreting reality; and a resource enhancement realized through collaboration with a sacred patron. Miracles are petitioned above all for health-related matters, but also for matters concerning employment, family, pregnancy and childbirth, romantic love, education, migration, and agriculture, among others.
Petitionary devotion consists primarily of making miracle requests together with promises to offer something in exchange. In written petitions the promises, or vows, are sometimes explicit, like a signed agreement instead of a handshake, but usually the reciprocation remains unspecified. Promises may be made in prayer, before or after the miracle, but votaries also petition miraculous images without explicitly obligating themselves. Reciprocation is nevertheless always required and when no terms are stated it is likely to take the form of a shrine visit to give thanks in person. Votaries have little to lose in these arrangements, known as votive contracts, because they themselves establish the terms and are under no obligation unless the miracle is granted.”
In this votive exchange the person will leave behind at the shrine a physical representation of the favor or miracle granted. For example, a devotee may pray to the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos to intercede in the serious illness of a child. If the child recovers, the faithful person may create or have commissioned an ex voto painting of the event and leave it in the shrine’s room of devotions. Paintings are usually done on tin but can be found on wood or cardboard and sometimes illustrated in simple pencil or crayons. The result of this phenomenon of offering physical objects as thanks is a room from floor to ceiling of devotional folk art, from the crude to the ornate. In all of Mexico, this room at the Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos probably houses the biggest concentration of religious folk art outside of the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City. Gifts to the Virgin may not take the form of the devotional paintings, however. The room, with its high ceilings and steep stone staircase is full of hundreds of mementos of miracles, from crutches and braces to articles of clothing and dirty teddy bears to pieces from car wrecks. Flowers, both real and those made of corn husks, are also abundant. In addition to being very visual, this large devotions room is probably the most emotional part of the whole Basilica. Highly devoted people go there to leave their offerings while praying with tears pouring down their faces. It is often hard to tell whether or not the tears are those of sadness from a horrible life event or those of joy for having successfully connected with the divine.
REFERENCES (This is not a formal bibliography):
Compendio de la historia de Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos by Cango Aguayo (in Spanish)
Miraculous Images and Votive Offerings in Mexico by Frank Graziano
25 thoughts on “The Miracles of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos”
Very interesting.
I experienced her healing power a while back when I visited the cathedral in memory of my grandfather who sent money each month. I stood in front of her and thought to myself if she is real to help my severely injured ankle. Suddenly, I felt a warmth around my ankle and it kept getting hotter and hotter until it freaked me out and I practically ran out the door.
I never doubted Her again!
Thank you for sharing this powerful story.
I believe so mush in her and care so much for her I always buy her candles of her when i have money
So the way she looks now is because it’s the way the artist restructured her or dressed her?
She has changed over the years.
I have a picture of her In blue but with alot of little flowers.
I visited this church for the first time. the beauty was breath taking. I explored every room and was amazed of the history. The Immaculate Mother was the most beautiful display I’ve ever seen. As I continued to explore other rooms, I came across the Exvotos. I was with my girlfriend. as we approached the room, my girlfriend stopped to talk to her brother and I continued. As I entered the room, I felt somewhat paralyzed were I was standing. I remember looking at the walls. I then began to feel a warm tingling feeling coming deep within my heart. it got greater and began to spread across my chest and then through my body. It got to the point that I felt as if fear, happiness, sorrow, anger were all one draining from my body as if it was being pulled from me. I was feeling real strange. as I turned to my girlfriend, I called out “babe”. At that moment I had the sensation of someone putting a arm around my shoulder as if they were walking with me and another sensation of someone speaking to me in front of me. They say that when someone dies they say their life flashes before them. In this case. the moment I had those sensations I saw my Dad (who died when I was 5) and brother (who died tragically in a car accident when I was 15) and I began to cry and I couldn’t control it. My girlfriend asked what was wrong and I told her that I was feeling like my dad was talking to me but I didn’t know what he’s saying. She told me to talk back to him in prayer, but for some reason I couldn’t because I was overwhelm with the sensation. I couldn’t stop crying… I needed to leave the room and when we did I began to feel better. Something happened to me in that room that I cant explain but I felt someone…
Thanks for sharing that heartfelt story. I know the room you speak of. It is off to the right and there is a small staircase inside it.
Wow how amazing my grandfather told me a similar story and basically had the same experience you did .thank you for sharing
You are so blessed. When I’m husband didn’t have a steady job but he always provided for us .I was pregnant and I would dream Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos. She would talk to me in my dreams.At that time I knew she was our Virgin Mary but I didn’t know she was Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos until I saw a painting of her and asked who she was and they told me she was Our Lady of San Juan. My husband got a steady job. Years later after I was widowed I had moved to my new home which was newly built in New property. One day as I was hanging out clothes outside on the clothes line I saw something shiny on the ground and I picked it up. It was a beautiful small medallion of Our Lady of San Juan in color.I still have her.She let me know that she is always with me.
Am going to go the Virgen San Juan delos Lagos.in may of this year .I own her some promises,that I need to take to her .I need her help so bad .I know she will help me .I hope she can cure my daughter in-law Norma and bring her home cuz she is very sick . I know she will cure her and bring her home to us soon .amen🙏🙏😇😇😇💝
We just got back from visiting the virgen de San Juan De los logos . She was nothing less of what I have expected and to my family also the connection that I felt when I walked in the Basilica was over Whelming. It’s something that is hard to explain but with all her beauty and what I believe in my heart what I felt is nothing less then the hand of our Virgin Mary upon me letting me know that she was very happy that I was there to complete my promise and to visit her at her home in San Juan de los Lagos .
Thank you for sharing that with us.
I visited the church in San Juan, TX many years ago with my family. I have donated money to her thru the church. For many years. I have so much faith in her.
I just saw her, I think. Is the statue they take to different churches her or a replica? I’m so confused by that.
If you are in the state of Jalisco in Mexico, it is the real statue. For all other places around the world there is a blessed replica.
Our Love & Faith belongs to God only. The corrupt in the mother church have confused the masses. Even the devil can heal. Do not be misguided children. Seek God only. It is a great sin to pray to any other gods rather than the Living God.
Hello this not a comment but a question.so here it is .My mother in law made a promise to la virgin de San Juan when my husband was a baby . He was very sick and my mother in law thought that he was going to die. So She promised that she would crawl on her knees up to where the virgin de San Juan if he got better , well he did get better and now he is 51years old.but my mother in law never went through with the promise she made.my question is can that broken promise affect my husband.because ever since I met him he claims that he feels like he has had bad luck all his life.even until this day things always seem to go wrong for him . nothing ever seems to go right .and he is a very good person but he has had a very tough life.could it be that because my mother in law broke that promise ? And I also want can be done to correct this broken promise made by my mother in law. Thank you OFELIA Herrera Soloya
Ofelia, Thanks for writing this to me. I think anyone who reads this and knows about the Virgin will agree: Your husband needs to go to San Juan de los Lagos and leave something there for her. He needs to make a pilgrimage to complete the circle. You should go with him for support. I think after the visit to the Virgin your husband will feel “clean” and his bad luck will end. Please keep in touch and let us know how it goes. Muy buena suerte.
Like Mr Robert mentioned, he must amend the promise his mother made for him. There is an incident that occurred there a few years back (I’m from San Juan). During the pilgrimage season an older gentleman was struggling to walk with the pilgrimage and a man saw this and help him up to keep up. The older man was carrying a sack of cloth which the other took and carried it for him. Through the travel as they got closer the younger man lost sight of the older man and still had his things. Once he reached the Bascilica of the Virgin he spoke to a priest about the man and if he could mention that he will be leaving the sack with him. The priest in front of the man opened the sack and it was the bones of a body. They got them examined and it was said to be the man who was seeking the help of someone to finish his promise he had made to her.
There are many stories like this one, but they say the souls cannot rest if they carry the worry of a broken promise. The town is beautiful and has changed a lot in the past 3 years. National tourism is starting to dwindle in and the towns expansion is noticeable. I’m currently in construction of a home to offer those people a place to stay since hotels are not our towns best quality.
I have made my promises to our Lady- and have complete faith that my grandaughters loss of hearing will be restored or that the loss itself will work miraculously to bless her life.
Beautiful testimonies and comments. God bless you all. I need your opinion: I know that for God and for our Lady there are no obstacles of distance or circumstances. Do you think I can pray to Her long distance for a very special petition? My testimony: In March of 1984, I made a desperate request to our Lady, I offered to stop smoking, and I did, in that very moment (I was a chain-smoker). I was living in a horrible relationship, I asked Her to rescue me and to bring a good man to my life. She did! It was instantaneous, someone I had known for a long time and had dated before. We have been married for 35 years and have two daughters. Now I need a miracle for one of my daughters.
Ask, and it shall be given unto you.
I made a trip to La Virgin de San Juan in Texas & it was so healing & special. An older lady approached me as I was starting to walk up the stairs into the basilica. She told me everything about the church & showed me the