In December of 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian convert to the Faith in Mexico. She requested a church to be built and asked him, Juan Diego, to go to the bishop to let him know. Juan was not highly regarded by the Spaniards, nor by his fellow countrymen, as he was poor and not many Mexicans had as yet embraced the Catholic Christian Faith.

When Juan was finally brought in front of the bishop, he was met with skepticism and returned to the Virgin asking for a sign to prove it was really she who was asking for the church. She directed him to a place on the mountain where he was delighted to find roses growing right in the middle of winter! He gathered them in his tilma, or cape, and brought them to the bishop.

When he opened the tilma for the bishop, the roses spilled out, revealing a beautiful portrait of the Virgin, which has miraculously survived to this day. After the church was built, one million people converted every year for 10 years and human sacrifice to the pagan gods ended.

Today the Virgin in this image is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe or La Virgen de Guadalupe, and she is patroness of the Americas and of the Unborn. We used a photographic image of a detail of the original Tilma of St Juan Diego, and touched it up with a bit of color. Captivating.

The same image is on both sides.

All of our pendants and ornaments are made with lead free solder and glass.  

If you put the charm/medal on a key chain, it may get broken if not treated kindly. It is glass. If you want one for a key chain, we can custom make your medium charm/medal with a thicker glass for $3. Small charm/medals don't need thicker glass, but either way, they need to be on a chain before you add them to your key ring.