Our Lady of the Miracles of Tlaltenango

Marian Invocation of Cuernavaca (Morelos)

La advocación de Our Lady of the Miracles of Tlaltenango is attached to a Marian apparition in 1720 in the area of Tlaltenango, now the colony of Cuernavaca, state of Morelos, Mexico.

Main data

Origin and history

La advocación de Our Lady of the Miracles of Tlaltenango is attached to a Marian apparition in 1720 in the area of Tlaltenango, now the colony of Cuernavaca, state of Morelos, Mexico.

Documented history: – La actual parish - sanctuary of Our Lady of the Miracles, known as Iglesia de Tlaltenango, se construyó para honrar a la Virgen aparecida en 1720. – El santuario se terminó en 1730and since then has been officially given the Our Lady of Miracles. – La chapel of San José, contigua al santuario, fue edificada por los franciscanos y es reconocida como una de las primeras construcciones católicas de América, anterior al propio santuario mariano. – La parroquia forma parte del First Decanate of the Diocese of Cuernavaca.

Tradition and legend: The local sources speak of a "apparition of the Virgin of the Miracles" in August 1720which would have motivated the building of the sanctuary. The specific details of the vision (exact place, seers, signs) belong to the field of the tradición oralsince no complete historical documents of the time are cited in the sources consulted. The devotion was quickly consolidated to the point that the image was first in another church for about ten years and then the present sanctuary was raised to house it.

A significant historical data is the devotion of Emiliano Zapata to this Virgin: in 1914 she offered a gift Silver crown with gold stars to the image of Our Lady of the Miracles of Tlaltenango. This gesture shows the popular and regional roots of the advocation.

> Note: although some tourist reviews repeat the data of "Franciscan construction in 1523," the most consistent documents place the origin of the Marian sanctuary in 1720- 1730, maintaining the greatest antiquity for the chapel of San José.

The image and the sanctuary

Devotional sources indicate that the venerated image is from the year 1720, linked to the date of the apparition and the beginning of the cult. However, the documents available do not explicitly contain the material (for example, whether it is wood, canvas or other technique), and should therefore be strictly noted: the original material of the image is not clearly recorded.

From the iconographic point of view, the advocation is associated with the Virgin Mary under the title "the Miracles", held at the feast of the Nativity of Mary (8 September), which suggests a classic Marian representation: Mary as Mother of God, interceder and dispenser of graces. However, in the sources consulted the iconographic attributes are not accurately described (crown, child Jesus, stars, etc.), beyond the reference to the crown offered by Zapata. Therefore, any additional undocumented details should be considered local tradition or pious interpretation.

El conjunto religioso se compone de: – Sanctuary / Parish of Our Lady of the Miracles, known as Iglesia de Tlaltenango, dedicado a la Virgen María. – Chapel of San José, the oldest building in the whole, recognized as one of the first Catholic constructions in America and the work of the Franciscans.

The sanctuary is located in the Tlaltenango colony, in Cuernavaca, state of Morelos, Mexico, within the Diocese of Cuernavaca. Presents a iglesia of one ship with side capillas, con una highlighted facade topped by a swordsman, as described in contemporary graphic chronicles and reviews. In the court of the sanctuary there is also a mural made by artist Roberto Martínez, developed in 1982 by Bishop Sergio Méndez Arceo, who recalls the history and devotion of the place.

It does not know that the temple has the title of minor basilica nor of national sanctuary; it is commonly called parroquia y sanctuary of Our Lady of the Miracles within the diocesan realm.

Sponsorship and coronation

The sources indicate that the Church of Tlaltenango is parroquia and at once Marian sanctuary within the Diocese of Cuernavaca, with a prominent role in the religious life of the Tlaltenango colony and of the city. There is no mention of a formal decree that declares her the principal patron of the diocese, so, with the available data, it can be said with caution:

– Patronage: the advocation of Our Lady of the Miracles is patron of the parish and colony of Tlaltenango and has a strong devotional roots in the city of Cuernavaca and its region. There is no official appointment as a diocesan or national patron.

As for coronation:

– Las fuentes revisadas (históricas, diocesanas, devocionales y de prensa) do not record a formal act of canonical coronation aprobado por la Santa Sede o por delegación pontificia, con fecha y documento precisos. – Existe, sí, el gesto histórico de devotional coronation by Emiliano Zapata, who gave away a silver crown with gold stars in 1914, but this does not amount to a canonical coronation in a strict sense.

Therefore, according to the information available: Canon coronation: there is no documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The main celebration of Our Lady of the Miracles of Tlaltenango is attached to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, el September 8.

– El canónigo de la Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe determinó que the annual feast of Our Lady of Tlaltenango will be held on September 8. – Un novenario mariano local confirma que since 1720 the party is held on 8 Septemberin the liturgical framework of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The traditional Tlaltenango Fair, de gran arraigo popular: – Según la información del gobierno municipal, each year the apparition of the Virgin of the Miracles is celebrated with the Tlaltenango Fair, which extends approximately 30 August-12 September. – Otras reseñas turísticas señalan que la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Tlaltenango the night of 8 September, within this festive period.

Devotion combines elements liturgical and popular: – Celebración de la Holy Mass y novenario previo a la fiesta. – Posibles peregrinaciones parroquiales y de fieles de distintas zonas de Cuernavaca y del estado de Morelos; aunque se puede deducir su existencia por la importancia de la feria, no official flow figures en las fuentes consultadas. – Ambientes tradicionales de feria: puestos, música, gastronomía local y ambiente festivo alrededor del templo, especialmente sobre la Avenida Emiliano Zapata.

The Virgin of the Miracles of Tlaltenango is considered a powerful intercessor In the face of personal, family and social difficulties, this is reflected in the very title of advocation and in the continuity of devotion over more than three centuries.

Link to the Rosary

The available sources on the sanctuary, the parish and the fair do not specify a particular practice of the Rosary as a distinctive feature of this advocation (for example, a historical fellowship of the Rosary or a specific linked promise)