MEXICO CITY (AP) — Images of the Virgin of Guadalupe on their backs, devotees of Mexico’s patron saint flooded streets on the north side of the capital overnight, converging with music, bottle rockets, candles and prayers on the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Some say that every Dec. 12, all roads in Mexico lead to the enormous circular Roman Catholic house of worship where the faithful come to show their devotion on the anniversary of this apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1531, one of the largest Catholic pilgrimages in Latin America.
Click to Gallery
Pilgrims arrive at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Pilgrims arrive at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Candles with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe sit inside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Pilgrims carry a framed image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Paso de Cortes, Mexico, on their way to Mexico City, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, as millions prepare to flock to the capital for her Dec. 12 feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had spoken with Pope Leo XIV Friday to invite him to visit the country. She wrote on the social platform X that the pontiff had “sent blessings and greetings to all.”
“We agree that beyond the religion that each person professes and the laity of the state, the Virgin of Guadalupe is a symbol of identity and peace for Mexicans,” she wrote.
Leo celebrated a Mass Friday at the Vatican in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The previous night, even before the masses began to sing the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las mañanitas,” thousands of people already covered the expansive esplanade outside the basilica even as streams of people continued pouring in.
Images of the Guadalupana, as she is popularly known, were everywhere, including the taco stands where pilgrims stopped to regain their strength.
“We came to ask for health,” said Gladys López, who walked with her teen daughter from San Felipe Teotlalcingo, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of the capital in Puebla state. “We wanted the girl to see her and we all came from our town,” she said.
The exhaustion, sleeping on the ground and the effort were worth it, López said, as she prepared to cover the last few yards of their journey.
Some waited for a priest to come out and bless their Virgin figurines. Some tearfully lit candles, overcome with emotion.
José Luis González Paredes, 82, carried an image of the Virgin adorned with flowers. He has been making the pilgrimage for more than three decades to receive the blessing.
“I am only going to ask for next year, that I’m allowed to bring her and have the health to be able to endure the journey,” he said.
According to church tradition, in 1531, the dark-skinned Virgin appeared to the Indigenous peasant Juan Diego and her image was imprinted on his cloak, which is on display inside the church. Juan Diego was made a saint in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Pilgrims arrive at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Pilgrims arrive at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Candles with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe sit inside the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, the day before her feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
Pilgrims carry a framed image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Paso de Cortes, Mexico, on their way to Mexico City, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, as millions prepare to flock to the capital for her Dec. 12 feast day. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)
NEW YORK (AP) — More drops for superstar stocks that soared in Wall Street's frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology are weighing on the U.S. stock market Friday.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% from its all-time high set the day before, and the weakness for tech stocks dragged the Nasdaq composite down a market-leading 1%.
But other areas of the market that previously got left behind by Big Tech are picking up some of the slack, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was adding 90 points, or 0.2%, to its own record set the day before, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time.
Broadcom led the market lower and fell 10.2% even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Analysts called the performance solid, and CEO Hock Tan said strong 74% growth in AI semiconductor revenue helped lead the way.
But investors may have been concerned with some of Broadcom’s financial forecasts, including how much profit it can squeeze out of each $1 of revenue. The AI heavyweight may also have simply run out of momentum after its stock came into the day with a surge of 75.3% for the year so far, more than quadruple the S&P 500’s gain.
Broadcom’s stumble came a day after Oracle plunged nearly 11% despite likewise reporting a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Doubts remain about whether all the spending that Oracle is doing on AI technology will end up being worth it. and how it will pay for it. Such questions are weighing on the AI industry broadly, even as many billions of dollars continue to flow in.
It’s a return toward Earth for AI superstars, which earlier had been the main engine propelling Wall Street higher. Other stocks that used to struggle with uncertainty about the U.S. economy’s strength and what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates, meanwhile, are doing better.
The stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has much less of an emphasis on tech, have been beating other indexes, for example. Gains of 1.5% for McDonald's and 0.6% for Visa were two of the strongest forces lifting the Dow on Friday.
Now, investors are feeling more optimistic about interest rates. The Fed earlier this week cut its main interest rate for the third time this year and indicated another cut may be ahead in 2026. Wall Street loves lower rates because they can boost the economy and send prices for investments higher, even if they potentially make inflation worse.
The Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, did hint on Wednesday that interest rates may be on hold for a while. But he helped soothe nerves when his comments appeared less harsh than some investors expected in shutting off the possibility of more cuts in 2026.
Stocks of travel-related companies were strong on Friday. Oil prices have eased this week, which should help trim their bills, and hopes are rising that easier interest rates will support the economy and encourage more people to take trips.
Norwegian Cruise Line steamed 3.1% higher, while Southwest Airlines climbed 3.2%. Along with them, the majority of stocks within the S&P 500 rose.
The biggest gain in the index came from Lululemon Athletica, which jumped 9.9% after reporting better profit and revenue for the three months through Nov. 2 than analysts expected. It also said its CEO, Calvin McDonald, plans to step down at the end of January following pressure to boost revenue.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia.
Stocks jumped 1.7% in Hong Kong and rose 1.4% in Tokyo for two of the world’s bigger gains.
In the bond market, Treasury yields rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.19% from 4.14% late Thursday.
AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.
Trader William Lawrence works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
