By Fr. Don Miller, OFM, Franciscan Media - The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe - The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story... A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.