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Summary Of The Virgin Of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbolize

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In the article “The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol” by Eric R. Wolf, the facts are given about the history of the symbol as well as the importance that it plays in the lives of the people of Mexico. This Wolf applies the agnostic approach in his article by the language that he uses. He does not attempt to persuade or dissuade from believing in the Virgin of Guadalupe. Wolf starts out by explaining that the terms he uses do no represent the Mexican people as a whole, “In this paper, I should like to discuss this [Virgin of Guadalupe] Mexican master symbol, and the ideology which surrounds it. In making use of the term ‘master symbol,’ I do not wish to imply that belief in the symbol is common to all Mexicans” (Wolf 2). Wolf explained some of the history behind the Guadalupe, “The image of the Guadalupe and her shrine at Tepeyac are surrounded by an origin myth” (Wolf 2). By stating this, Wolf is giving the information that the symbol is simply stating the history of the symbol and how it came to be. He is also stating that the Virgin was not the first supernatural symbol of the area. However, Wolf also explains the importance of the symbol: “The first set of relationships which I would like to single out for consideration are the ties of kinship, and the emotions generated in the play of relationships within families” (Wolf 4). By doing this, he is giving attention to the impact that the symbol has on the culture. He is neither rejecting the idea of

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