Friday was a very important day for many Catholics, especially Mexicans, as it is the day that the Virgin of Guadalupe is said to have appeared before peasant Juan Diego near Mexico City. The Lady of Guadalupe is honored in the annual celebration on December 12 for the Virgin of Guadalupe Day.

After Juan Diego told a bishop of his vision, the virgin's image later appeared on his cloak, according to legend. The event was key in converting Mexico to Catholicism.

Over time, the familiar image of the virgin - head down and hands clasped in prayer - has taken on a message of love, justice and unity as well as faith. Therefore streams of people from across Mexico and as far away as the United States, worshiped in front of an old cloak emblazoned with the image of the Virgin who is said to have appeared to a 16th-century Indian peasant in December 1531.

Mexican Catholics believe Guadalupe, or the “Dark Virgin,” was the manifestation of the Virgin Mary and credit her with bringing Christianity to millions of Aztec Indians at a time when the Conquistadors were despised.

"I am hoping the virgin will help my husband find a job," said Margarita Lopez for Reuters as she led her two small children through the crowd toward the giant basilica. "He's in the United States and has been out of work for two months."

Taking the areas surrounding Chicago as an American example of where Mexican festivities will be alive and well on Friday, tens of thousands of residents of Chicago and the suburbs - the overwhelming majority of Mexican descent - braved subfreezing temperatures to spend the Friday religious holiday at the outdoor shrine on the grounds of the Maryville Academy in Des Plaines.