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Guadalupe

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Guadalupe Paper Occurring only ten years after the final conquest in Mexico, the Lady of Guadalupe event served as a crucial point in shaping the newly contacted Spanish and native cultures. Spanish friars initially tried to force their religion upon the natives. They found the native practices of human sacrifice appalling and felt it was their duty to spread the Christian gospel to all those they considered unenlightened. Since the event in 1531 the story of Guadalupe has helped to harmonize the conflict between the two. To this day the significance of Guadalupe is still deeply embedded within Latin American spirituality. Virgilio Elizondo states in Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation that the idea of Guadalupe comprises an “American Gospel” (p. 134). The apparition Juan Diego experienced with Guadalupe, the Mother of God, encompasses Spanish Catholic elements, Nahua elements, and Mestizo elements that contributed to what Pope John Paul II acclaimed as “an impressive example of a perfectly inculturated evangelization” of the gospel. At a time when both natives and Spanish foreigners experienced an extreme culture shock of clashing beliefs, Guadalupe created a religious common ground for them to share. The term “American Gospel” used by Elizondo to describe the event is drawn from the combination of the Christian gospel and the traditions rooted in the native land that are represented in the Guadalupe event. The Spanish came with the motive of converting everyone to their faith. This Spanish influence is apparent in the manner that Guadalupe identifies herself as “the Ever-Virgin Holy Mary” when speaking to Juan Diego. She also instructs Juan Diego to tell the bishop to build her a shrine on the hill of Tepeyac. Asking to establish a Catholic place of devotion at a site where the Aztecs once worshipped their gods contributed to the religious coalescence. In this sense Catholic practices were emphasized while native inspiration was incorporated to display the requested church as a place for the natives to be evangelized and embraced as children of God. The creation of a mestizo culture from those born of a Spaniard and an American Indian resulted from the Spanish conquest. Not only did Guadalupe support the blending of both cultures but she also revealed a Mestizo god for the people. Incorporating both sides, she tells Juan Diego, “I am the Ever-Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the God of Great Truth, Teotl, of the One through Whom We Live” (pg. 7). By addressing him in this way she represents a hybrid of the Catholic and native foundational beliefs. She also expressed to him, “I will show and give to all people all my love, my compassion, my help, and my protection, because I am your merciful mother and the mother of all nations that live on this earth” (pg. 8). Her pregnancy serves as a representation of the blending cultures and beliefs that would result from her extraordinary birth of a new age and the motherly presence she extends out to everyone.
Much of the Guadalupe account encompasses the foundations of the Nahuatl culture. For example, Juan Diego is drawn to the top of Tepeyac by a beautiful song and Guadalupe uses non-seasonal flowers to help him convince the bishop of her message. As mentioned throughout Aztec Thought and Culture flowers and songs played an important role for Nahuas as it signified ultimate truth. The glyph on her garment represents the new sun, or new age, that Nahuas believed to be coming. Thus, the birth would signify this coming of a new age. One of the most important aspects of the Aztec culture was the human sacrifice to the gods in efforts to fuel the sun. When Juan Diego sees Guadalupe for the first time she radiated rays of sunlight, and therefore perceived her as a divine being. Because she embodied many Nahua components it created coherency and ease for natives such as Juan Diego to be drawn to her and believe her word to be true. Additionally, Guadalupe’s appearance to Juan Diego resembles that of an Indian just like himself. This makes it easy for him to accept the new religion without viewing it as abandonment to his ancestor’s religious traditions to replace them completely with European Christianity. Juan Diego “does not just take sides with the new culture-religion but rather goes to its headquarters to demand a change” (pg. 110). In doing so in the name of the Mother of God, the God of both the Spaniards and the God of his ancestors’ traditions, he initiates the process of a cultural synthesis and unification as mestizos. Because his mission is to demand a temple for Guadalupe, the Indian mother of everyone, he is not rejecting Christianity or the faith of his ancestors.
The themes of liberation and justice conveyed in the story of Guadalupe are communicated through reversals that occur between Juan Diego and the bishop. Juan Diego is the one who first goes to the center cathedral where the bishop is to ask for Guadalupe’s temple. Later the bishop joins him instead and they go arm in arm to Tepeyac to build the temple among the lay-people. Juan Diego also starts off walking stooped, humbled, and second-class while the bishop continues to sit in a position of power. It is not until the end of the Guadalupe event that Juan Diego finally stands erect to display the image of Guadalupe on his tilma and the bishop becomes the one who kneels down. Furthermore, the conversion of the native people was displayed in a reversed manner. While pride was typically a sin and submitting to God was the grace, the opposite held true for oppressed natives like Juan Diego. Those of the indigenous culture were so inclined to self-negation that it was considered their sin, while empowerment and coming to view themselves as a child of God was their grace.
Particularly as a result of the cruelty and conquest, Guadalupe helped to establish a belief in hope and empowerment for the natives and mestizos. Juan Diego initially felt unworthy to serve as her messenger until she continually assured him otherwise. Guadalupe “transformed conquering Christianity into evangelical Christianity” through the involvement of Juan Diego (pg. 114). Rather than remaining ashamed and subservient to the dominant ways, Guadalupe instills Juan Diego with new confidence and a sense of worthiness to present himself to the bishop. The Tepeyac temple that Guadalupe desires is intended to welcome and cherish those who, whether foreign or native, could be seen as worthy and a child of God. In asking for a temple of unity, free of segregation and discrimination, Guadalupe can be seen as a Nahuatl interpretation of the New Testament, where she, like Jesus, introduces changes in the views of humanity. As an icon of integration among the separate populations after the Spanish conquest, Guadalupe maintains the gospel and continues to serve as an inspiration to any who have struggled with liberty and justice.

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