La Virgen De Guadalupe: A Master Symbol of Unification Between Past and Present

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“Her image adorns house fronts and interiors, church and home altars, bull rings, and gambling dens, tacos and buses, restaurants and houses of ill repute” (Wolf 34).

She began as a fusion of the Aztec goddess Tonantzin, “Our Lady Mother,” and the colonial “The Virgin Mary,” the “Mother of Jesus.” The evolution of these two symbolic religious figures into “La Virgen De Guadalupe” became a compelling metaphor for the unity of the Indigenous people of Mexico, and the Spanish colonizers. In modern-day America, La Virgen De Guadalupe evolved from syncretic religious symbolism to become a symbol of unity between Mexican-Americans and their ancestral Mexican roots. La Virgen De Guadalupe, the combination of Tonantzin and The Virgin Mary, is now referred to as a “master symbol” (Wolf 34) of Mexico. Although named hundreds of years ago, she continues to adapt to serve the Mexican, and now Mexican-American people. In the years before the Mexican War of Independence against Spain, Tonantzin was an Aztec goddess, a loved and sometimes feared deity. Tonantzin, known as “Mother of Gods” (Harrington 31) was worshiped for fertility, motherhood, and her power over life and death. She was associated with the moon, especially the lunar cycles, and the night sky or stars. She was also known to have power over life and death, or more so life-taking, and life-giving (Wolf 35). She often drew prayer and worship during times of plague and fear, hoping that it would quell her anger toward whomever offended the goddess (Harrington 31). More often she was considered the “Great Mother” or “Our Lady Mother” overall by the people. She was a symbol of all nurturing aspects such as nature, her image a source of life and sustenance. She embodied the power and dualism of the female form, a creator of life and a mother (Harrington 29). Tonantzin’s temple, as well as her cult of worshippers at Tepeyac Hill, would eventually meld to become the indigenous basis of La Virgen De Guadalupe’s worship and the basis of the physical symbolism that she embodied (Wolf 35). At the same time, the values and traditions would be based upon the Catholic Virgin Mary.

The Virgin Mary the “Mother of Jesus” is the other powerful symbol that merged with Tonantzin. Tonantzin’s take on the female form is softened through Mary and humanized out of a respected and sometimes feared deity, into a protective, loving mother. The Virgin Mary is considered non-violent, always being portrayed as nurturing, forgiving, and kind. In true Christian form, she accepts and loves all, regardless of stature or background. In the eyes of Catholicism and Christianity, Mary is the mother of the most perfect being ever created, Jesus Christ, her son through immaculate conception. She represented the ultimate feminine ideal, the “mother”symbol in the colonial mind. She brought to La Virgen De Guadalupe her personality in her all-loving, all-accepting, perfect forgiveness and protection. The Virgin Mary was presented to the indigenous people of Mexico with hope that they would acclimate and accept Catholicism over the religion of the Aztecs (Lara 100). The Spanish colonizers had always intended to convert indigenous Aztec belief and worship into Catholicism and worship of Jesus Christ and Mary, often demonizing native beliefs, deities, and practices.The process of syncretism, where elements of indigenous spirituality and imagery were merged with Catholicism began with Juan Diego, in 1531. During this time, when indigenous people of Mexico were still speaking Nahuatl, an apparition of La Virgen De Guadalupe appeared to Diego, speaking in this language and addressing him with utmost love and respect. Most importantly, she appeared to him at the active sacred temple of Tonantzin, where her cult still practiced, called Tepeyac Hill (Wolf 34). Syncretism here included the combining of symbols or figures between The Virgin Mary, with her all-loving, all-accepting care and motherhood over humanity of any background or stature and Tonantzin. Although La Virgen is situated in her visage the same as The Virgin Mary (looking down in a demure, and often loving or prayerful way) the physical symbology of Tonantzin is most crucial in the comparison. La Virgen De Guadalupe takes Tonantzin’s indigenous symbology in that she is positioned above a moon, similar to Tonantzin, with a cloak of stars and a belt above her waist— implying pregnancy, exactly as Tonantzin’s statues and imagery before colonizers (Estrada). Soon after this sighting at Tepeyac Hill, the cult of Tonantzin evolved into the cult of La Virgen De Guadalupe, beginning her acceptance into indigenous culture. The unifications of the two figures and images provided the familiarity and framework needed to allow the indigenous people of Mexico to embrace the new faith that The Virgin Mary presented (Harrington 33), yet without entirely abandoning the culture of their ancestral roots. La Virgen De Guadalupe, over time, became the unifying central figure and a “Master Symbol” (Wolf 34) of Mexican identity. Her history of both indigenous ancestry and colonization can be found within her image- a great mother who takes upon the mantle of acceptance and protection, and yet maintains the deity imagery of the Aztec Tonantzin (Estrada). Her appearance to Juan Diego, an indigenous man instead of a colonizer, became the foundation of La Virgen’s message. La Virgen, much like Mary, does not see status, race, gender, or label. She is omnipotent and all knowing, as is Tonantzin, but less judgmental. She is a symbol that transcends boundaries of race and class, and she emerges as a most powerful representation of the Mexican people.

In modern times, La Virgen De Guadalupe evolves again into a new symbol of unity. She has adapted, as did Tonantzin, to new interpretations of nationalism, patriotism and much more within the Mexican-American community (King).Within the decade, she has melded, changed, and become even more powerful as an image in representation for Mexican-Americans.Once again, unifying Mexican-Americans to their Mexican heritage and ancestry (King). She now symbolizes a connection, a current cultural image that represents the past and the duality of identity in citizenship (King). La Virgen is seen as a symbol for the adaptation of Mexican culture in America in art and social activism. “She has been incorporated into everything we do” (King). She represents many things now, but most importantly she acts as a unification between Mexican-Americans and their Mexican ancestry. Both Mexican and Mexican-Americans celebrate December 12th as her day, united under the symbol of La Virgen De Guadalupe’s protection and all-accepting visage. She is a connection to the history of indigenous origin and colonization as much as a connection to current cultural imagery. No matter where a Mexican-American or Mexican is, on December 12th believers are gathered together under the history and reverence for the great mother La Virgen Guadalupe. La Virgen is especially helpful to those navigating their identities in a multi-cultural family life. She even appears as an image of change and everyday struggles (Perez) in a mural by Paul Botello on a Los Angeles wall. Her image on a card is carried by Mexicans as they cross the border into America. She is accompanying Cesar Chavez (King) on his banners, as well as beingfound as a daily prayer candle in a home in the middle of America. La Virgen is always with her people, uniting them in her love, wherever they are in the world. She is the true symbol of the resilience, strength, and endurance of the Mexican people and their culture. Evolving from Tonantzin and The Virgin Mary to become the symbol to the indigenous people of Mexico, La Virgen De Guadalupe again has evolved to become the symbol of unity between Mexican-Americans and their Mexican heritage.

Works Cited

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JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1464830.

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Accessed 28 Sept. 2024.

Lara, Irene. "Goddess of the Americas in Decolonial Imaginary: Beyond the Virtuous

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JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20459183.

Perez, Stephanie "La Virgen de Guadalupe: powerful throughout generations." Boyle Heights

Beat, 01 Jan. 2008,www.mexconnect.com/articles/1404-la-virgen-de-guadalupe-mother-of-all-mexico.