Lady Of Guadalupe Meaning

Brian Diaz +AMDG

World History Honors

Fr. Teodoro, SJ

16 March 2018

Our Lady of Guadalupe, More than a Mexican Symbol

For the last 500 years, Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a symbol for believers of Latin America. The Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico. She is the apparition of the Virgin Mary (mother of God). She appeared to Juan Diego on the Tepeyac Hill. In the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, her image is depicted as a humble woman. Although Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered a mother figure for the country of Mexico, she has played an important role in converting the entire nation of Mexico to Catholicism, which brought an end to the Aztecs worship of stone gods and the practice of human

The origins of Our Lady of Guadalupe come from Mexico. Her image converted the entire nation of Mexico into Catholicism. As the news about the apparition of the Virgin Mary spread, approximately eight million people converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe stands as a native Mexican princess. The main group that converted were natives. Converting to Christianity at the time meant lifting up into the new Spanish colonial society, which also meant there were more opportunities to conduct business, whether trade or farming. Nowadays, the Virgin Mary is considered a mother figure for the country of Mexico. Thousands of Christian pilgrims visit the shrine every year; as a result, thousands convert into Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe’s role in Mexican history is not limited to religious matters; she has played an important role in Mexican nationalism and identity. In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla promoted her as the patroness of the revolt he led against the Spanish. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the rebels’ banners, and the rebels’ battle cry was “Long Live Our Lady of

Latin American and feminist theologians, artists, and writers have reimagined the sedate and obedient Virgin as an ordinary woman experiencing the joys and challenges of sexuality, work, and motherhood as exemplified by Yolanda López’s “Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe.” Although the Virgin of Guadalupe has made an impact on the country of Mexico, at the same time, she has also had effects on others parts of the Americas. The apparition did not only convert the whole nation of Mexico to Catholicism, but the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe brought an end to the Aztecs worship of stone gods and the practice of human sacrifice. When the indigenous people embraced Catholicism, the religion of the Spaniards, the two groups discovered a way of living together in relative harmony. In 1737, she was proclaimed patroness of Mexico City, and in 1746, her patronage was accepted by all the territories of New Spain, which included part of present-day California as well as Mexico and regions as far south as Guatemala and El Salvador. Pius X also extended her as patroness to all of Latin America in