La Virgin de Guadalupe holds a special place in Mexico’s religious life and is one of the most famous religious devotions. The origin of La Virgin goes back to December 12, 1531. The Virgin Mary, with native features and dressed in Aztec attire, first appeared to a native man named Juan Diego, who had converted to Christianity. In his indigenous language, she asked for a shrine in her honor on the very spot where she appeared, Tepeyac Hill, located just outside of Mexico City. When he approached the town bishop with his vision, the bishop demanded a sign before he would approve such a task. Mary then appeared a second time to Juan Diego and ordered him to collect dozens of roses. When he met with the bishop again, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting the roses fall to the floor, revealing Mary’s image imprinted on the inside of the cloak.
Guadalupe’s brown skin and native features drew similarities to Tonantzin, a goddess worshipped by the Aztec people. Her visual representation also suggests traditional Catholic imagery. Her eyes look down with humility and compassion. She is human, not God. She wears a cloak covered with stars to show that she comes from heaven. The constellations are in the exact position as they were the morning of December 12, 1531. Her robe is usually covered with Aztec flowers, symbolic of an Aztec princess.
From the sixteenth century on, her image served as a symbol of freedom for the oppressed native populations. It spontaneously welded together all the different layers of the Viceroyalty of Nueva España. The criollos, distrusted by the Peninsulares, were treated as second-class citizens and given lesser positions at every professional level. With their growing numbers, intensely dedicated to the colony’s success, the criollos would become essential characters in Guadalupe’s spreading, aiding their ambition to create a Mexico out of Nueva España.
Miguel Hidalgo, a father of Mexico, was a Catholic priest and a criollo who envisioned an independent kingdom. He took up Guadalupe’s banner, gave the Virgin the title of “General Captain,” and paraded her image in every city he entered on his march to Mexico City, declaring independence on September 16, 1810. Hidalgo used her image as a catalyst for his nationalist goals and a focus for anti-Spanish sentiments. Guadalupe attracted a wider following for his rebellion, propelling her to become the symbol of the movement. “When they rallied behind the flag of rebellion, Mexicans followed the image of The Virgin of Guadalupe” (Dawson). They defined themselves as fundamentally distinct from the Spanish and celebrated their national cultures.
In 1811, Jose Maria Morelos, a catholic priest but of mixed ethnic background, joined Hidalgo’s rebellion and later became a leader after his execution. Inspired by Hidalgo’s actions, he created a preemptive piece that laid the bases for a future national constitution. This document became known as The Sentiments of the Nation and consisted of twenty-three articles. In the nineteenth article, he calls for the constitution to establish December 12, the day of La Virgin de Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico, as a holiday to be celebrated (Wood, Alexander 36).
La Virgin de Guadalupe has played a vital role in Mexico’s history and remains a powerful symbol of Mexican identity and faith. To honor her, people light a candle and say a prayer in her name. Today, her image is associated with everything from motherhood to feminism to social justice and has come to embody Mexico’s modern reality as a melting pot. Serving as a reminder of the power of Mexico and the Mexican people.