The original miraculous apron containing the image of the Virgin hangs behind bullet-proof glass above the altar in the new basilica. Moving walkways going in two directions transport the crowds a distance below the cloak. If you want to see it again, take the people-mover going in the opposite direction; you can do it as many times as you want.

The picture is of a woman with olive skin, rather than the white skin of European images, which has appealed to both indigenous Mexicans and their mestizo descendants. Similarly, the man that she is supposed to have appeared to, Juan Diego, was an Indian, not a European Spaniard. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has thus been used by advocates of indigenous rights throughout Mexico's history, most recently by the Zapatista movement.

The apron Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin wore was studied by Philip Serna Callahan in 1981 with infrared rays. He reported that the portions of the face, hands, robe, and mantle had been painted in one step, with no sketches or corrections and no paintbrush strokes.