There are two types of beginnings for the episodes: a happy beginning, or a more melodramatic beginning where the main character undergoes a calamitous event that kickstarts their development. In the latter, the editor, cast, and director's credits roll during the second scene. Main characters, being extremely devout to the Virgin of Guadalupe, almost always ask her to protect them. At the same time, a white rose appears before an altar or statue of the Virgin that belongs to the person who prayed or is in trouble, and remains there during the development of the story, which usually sees an escalation of the problem. The rose's appearance means that the petition has been heard by the Virgin. At the climax of the story, the closest person "asked" by the Virgin intercedes for the main character and tries to help. When the issue is resolved, the main character is "touched" by a wind that represents the act of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and at the end of the episode, the white rose disappears as a character narrates the message of the episode.
Starting in May 2017, "La rosa de Guadalupe" began broadcasting episodes with more serious, social issue-driven "impact" stories on Saturdays at 9:30 pm. These stories featured more explicit topics such as rape, incest, sexual harassment, murder, and drug addiction. The content rating given to these Saturday night episodes is B-15, whereas the content rating of episodes broadcast during the business week is B.
Reception
The show has been panned by Mexican viewers and critics for its lack of proper acting, writing, and directing. Some talk shows have criticized the low-fidelity effects and poor acting, as well as the lack of research for episodes dealing with certain social groups or issues such as bullying, family problems, and even sexual abuse. La rosa de Guadalupe is considered the most controversial series Televisa has ever transmitted throughout Latin America, constantly subjected to criticism since its first broadcast. It consistently portrays children and adolescents as antagonists. It is also criticized for insinuating that society's problems are only resolved through prayers and divine intervention and for presenting an exaggerated reality about Catholics, in addition to casting young actors with poor performances. Nonetheless, the controversy has brought a sizable amount of attention to the series and created a cult following online, where it is viewed as a source of accidental comedy.
Websites
La rosa de Guadalupe has been mocked on social networks such as Facebook, where they often make memes that make fun of the episodes and their characters; also YouTube users have mocked the episodes and even performed parodies. Within the same Televisa, several comedians have also made fun of the series, within sketches of different comedy programs.
Rivalry
In 2009, a similar program, A cada quien su santo, began airing on TV Azteca; during an hour, a case in some regions of the country is presented praising the faith of a particular saint, while in Televisa, there are narrative cases about miracles performed by the Virgin of Guadalupe.
