Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is located in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, 76 miles northeast of the city of Guadalajara. The small town of San Juan de los Lagos is the second most visited pilgrimage shrine in Mexico. The sanctuary's history begins in 1542 when Father Miguel de Bologna, a Spanish priest, brought a statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Concepion to the village. The town was then called San
Juan Mezquititlan Baptist but its name was changed to
San Juan de Los Lagos in 1623. In that year the daughter of some local Indian peasants fell ill, her parents prayed for her health, and the young girl recovered. Following this miracle, the statue began to be venerated by an increasing number of pilgrims including Indians, Spanish and mestizo. During this
period the statue acquired its own local identity as Our Lady de San Juan de los Lagos.
Between the early 17th century and the middle of the 19th century a pilgrimage fair was
held each year on November 30 to celebrate the original installation of the statue in the shrine.
