Framed dramatically through the towering ornamental iron gates inscribed Sancta Maria Mater Dei ("Holy Mary, Mother of God"), the original Basilica de Guadalupe rises in stark black-and-white grandeur in this real-photo postcard — a composition of extraordinary visual power. The photographer used the elaborately wrought gate as a natural frame, with bronze religious figures silhouetted in the archway above and the Baroque twin-towered basilica stretching across the courtyard below. This is the original 1709 basilica, which famously began to sink due to unstable lakebed soil and was eventually retired in favor of the modern basilica completed in 1976. The card was mailed from Mexico City to Mrs. Mary at 421 West Wayne St., Butler, Pennsylvania, with a message from "Tillie" raving about Mexico's wonders, her husband's long hours, and the city's beautiful sights. Publisher FEMA (Mexico) printed card no. 633.