Virgin of Guadalupe
A complex mix of Catholic and Aztec iconography, the Virgin of
Guadalupe (also known as the Lady of Guadalupe and the Goddess of the Americas) has
been revered for centuries as both the incarnation of Aztec female deities and, by
Catholics, the mother of Jesus Christ. During the 18th century the Catholic Church
declared her the patron saint of Mexico, and in 1945 Pope Pius XII named her
Empress of the Americas. Each December 12 throughout Mexico the Virgin of Guadalupe
is celebrated with pilgrimages, fireworks, and special prayers.
According to legend, in 1531 the Virgin appeared to a recently converted Indian,Juan
Diego, on a barren hill where a temple to the Aztec earth goddess Tonantzin had
once stood. She asked that a church be built on the site and told Juan Diego to gather
the roses that had miraculously appeared on the parched ground and deliver them to the
bishop as proof of his vision. When he opened his cape before the bishop, the
roses tumbled out and a perfect image of the Virgin was revealed imprinted on the
fabric. Today, a basilica built on the site of the apparition houses the cape, still
emblazoned with the image.
The Virgin of Guadalupe is one of the most
popular religious images on the planet, her image equally at home on altars, in
folk art, and dangling from pop devotions. The painting in the Handwerker Gallery's
collection shows strong folk influence in the treatment of its surfaces as well as in
the design of its wooden frame, which fittingly evokes a rose.
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