Millions of faithful visited Mexico City’s Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe Thursday during the annual celebration of the country’s patroness.
Steady streams of men, women and children arrived, many carrying portraits of the Virgin, known affectionately as “La Morena,” or “The dark-skinned.”
Authorities estimated that 9.8 million people had gathered around the basilica, considered the largest and most important Marian shrine in the world. That is about equivalent to the city’s entire population, though many of the visitors come from outlying states, some walking miles to reach the basilica.
The basilica holds an image . . .
