Juan Diego Human Sacrifice

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Juan Diego was born in 1474 A.D. in Cuauhtitlan. Not much is known about Juan Diego's early life up until he was baptized. When Juan Diego was fifty he was baptized by a Franciscan missionary named Fr. Peter da Gand. He was baptized along with his wife Maria Lucia, and his uncle Juan Bernardino. Juan Diego grew up under the subjection of the Aztecs who practiced human sacrifice. These people were sacrificed by cutting out the hearts of the victims. The victims were usually adult men, but also children. The Aztecs had control over 371 towns and the law requested 1,000 human sacrifices for each town, so over 50,000 human beings were sacrificed each year. When Juan Diego was just 13 years old, he witnessed one of the most appalling events in Aztec …show more content…

Over 80,000 people were sacrificed in just four days and four nights. After this event human sacrifices were declared illegal in 1520 by Hernando Cortes. That is when the sacrament of the Eucharist was introduced. Juan Diego passed Tepeyac Hill one morning and he heard music and saw a luminous cloud circled by a rainbow. A lady's voice called him up to the top of the hill. This is where he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like a princess of the Aztecs. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan Diego to ask the bishop to build a church on the site. She said, "I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings". The bishop was kind but unsure. He asked Juan Diego to offer proof of the woman's identity. Before Juan could return to the lady, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest to cure his uncle, Juan Diego missed his meeting with the lady. The lady met him on his journey and told him his uncle was cured. She

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