Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Spanish Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, is the Catholic title of the Virgin Mary who appeared before St. Juan Diego in a vision in 1531. On October 12, 1945, Pope Pius the XII named her “Patroness of all the Americas”. The Our Lady Of Guadalupe Basilica is located in Mexico city and is the most visited Catholic shrine in the world. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún was a Franciscan missionary priest, who helped in the Catholic evangelization of New Spain. He was born in Sahagun in 1499 and studied Aztec culture, history and belief for 50 years. He earned the title as “the first anthropologist” for his work documenting indigenous world view. Sahagun is known for putting together the Historia General, which in english, translates to “General History of the Things of New Spain”. Sahagun is also called the “Father of Ethnography”for pioneering new…

The Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe A Marian apparition, an extraordinary appearance by the Blessed Virgin Mary. The figure is normally named after the town where it took place in, or a nickname given to Mary on the event of the apparition. In Catholicism, our woman of Guadalupe is the patron saint in Mexico, envisioned as a pure women clothed in a blue mantle. Her hands are folded, her eyes are looking downward and she is surrounded by a brilliant gleam. She is standing upright on a…

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the mother of God, also known a Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady was seen in Aztec Mexico City in the 1500’s by Juan Diego, and his uncle on the top of a hill. She appeared as an apparition and spoke to them in the nahuatl language saying that she wanted a church to be built on that site in her honor. Juan was a Catholic in a country that mainly practiced polytheistic beliefs. Our Lady appeared and told him that she was to have a church built, and that he was supposed to…

On December 8th 1531, La Virgen de Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego at the top of the Tepeyac hill. Using Nahuatl, Juan Diego’s native language, she asked that a church be erected in her honor. Juan Diego attempted twice to convince Archbishop Juan de Zumarraga (Archbishop of Mexico from 1530-1548) of the apparition of the virgin; as well he attempted to convince the archbishop to build a church to Honor La Virgen de Guadalupe. Unfortunately, his first two attempts were unsuccessful. As a…

The story of the Lady of Guadalupe starts off in a time where religious preachers tried to get the Native population to convert to the Christian faith. A very poor Indian man, named Juan Diego was one of the very few converts. He was taking care of his sick and dying uncle, when suddenly, in Tepeyac Hill country, he saw a very beautiful woman, encircled in a very bright ball of of light. The lady introduced herself as “...the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains…

The book “Our Lady of Controversy” edited by Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Alma Lopez addresses many prevalent issues that were raised when Queer Chicana artist Alma Lopez showcased her reinterpretation of the iconic archetype of La Virgen de Guadalupe at the museum of International Folk Art in 2001 CyberArte. The book consist of short essays from scholars that analyzed the controversy through the context of religion, feminism, art and censorship, colonialism, queer theory, and Chicanx history.…

Women are the centerpiece of Mejica culture as evidenced by the temezcal, the women’s holy place at Tepeyac, Cosmic Mother religion, Coatlicue, and Tonantzin Guadalupe. All of the aforementioned topics revolve around women in that they either are women, resemble their anatomy, or are meant for women. A temezcal is a Nahuat word that translates to bath house. They were very prominent throughout southern and central Mexico in many towns, no matter the size of the town. For the Mejica, cleanliness…

The Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, is a religious icon and symbol of Mexican nationalism and identity (Benedetti). Through analyzing the image and history of the Virgin of Guadalupe through the theoretical terms, e.g. gender, sexuality, identity, and authority, one is able to understand her meaning and importance to Mexico, the world, and the catholic church. Her importance can be examined through the use of these theoretical terms and how they intersect and connect with…

Since I can remember, my religion and my life come hand in hand. I grew up in a town with a very strong Catholic faith that was passed on to me and I have kept it since. I started learning about my faith since I was a child and now that I am a young adult, I try day by day to understand it better and to follow the teachings of it. My faith is something I carry with me everywhere I go and it is not only a part of my life but a part of me. Faith has been a part of me since the day I was born. I…

Mexico has many unique celebrations just like every other country does. Different traditions and value are what distinguish each country from one another. For Instance, In Mexico. Holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, and Independence Day are celebrated. However, they are celebrated differently cultural wise as well as the day the holiday is celebrated. Catholic celebrations, such as Three Kings Day and Day of our Lady of Guadalupe are also celebrated. Dia de los Muertos, also known as Day of…