MEXICO and BEYOND: LAURA'S PHOTO JOURNEY: December 2022

Original Picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe shown in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Catholic Church considers the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe imprinted on the cloak of Juan Diego as a picture of supernatural origin.

The Virgin of Guadalupe (also known as La Guadalupana and Virgin Mary) is Mexico's patron saint and one of the most important religious figures throughout much of the Latin America world including the neighboring country of Guatemala. Each year in Mexico major celebrations and peregrinaciones (pilgrimages) begin on December 1st and continue daily until December 12th when the birth day of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" is celebrated.

Lovely young senoritas parade in honor of their beloved “Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe), which is the title given to the Virgin Mary.

From the smallest of pueblos to the largest of cities in Mexico, including the capital of Mexico City, the Virgin is celebrated with the culmination of festivities on December 12th. Throughout the country, including Puerto Vallarta, Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12th, a day which commemorates her appearance to Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from December 9 through December 12, 1531.

Tens of thousands of people travel to Mexico City to visit the place where the Virgin appeared to the Mexican People. The holiday is a national fiesta that includes traditional music, dances. and fun attractions. Pilgrims bring presents to the virgin, usually bouquets of flowers while other visitors will perform dances and song for her. Some pilgrims walk on their knees on the stone street leading to the Basilica, asking for miracles or giving thanks to the virgin for a petition granted. The chanting, singing, and dancing can last throughout the night.

Many of the pilgrims make their way on their knees, carrying candles, images, and illustrations of her likeness to give thanks and to honor the Queen of Mexico.

On the days leading up to the 12th of December the faithful in Mexico begin the pilgrimage to the Basilica de Guadalupe in Tepeyac to pay homage to La Virgen.

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with its iconic gold crown

THE STORY OF GUADALUPE:

"The Story behind this celebration demonstrates how the Catholic faith gained importance in the hearts of the Mexican people. It is a story of miracles and faith which mark a change in the history of Mexico.

The Spaniards, after they conquered Mexico, had in mind the goal of converting the indigenous Indians into Catholicism. But the Spaniards encountered many difficulties because the Mexican people had existing strong beliefs in their many gods. It wasn't until the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Juan Diego that this started to change.

Juan Diego was a young indigenous Indian walking toward the Hill of Tepeyac on December 12, 1531 when he was stopped by the appearance of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary appearing to Juan Diego was a young woman with black hair and dark skin which looked more like an indigenous person.

She ordered Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a church at the Hill of Tepeyac. Juan Diego then ran to the Bishop to tell him what the Virgin Mary had told him. The Bishop didn't believe what this young men was telling him and decided to ignore the petition.

The Virgin Mary appeared again in front of Juan Diego and told him to collect flowers from the top of the hill, but because it was December Juan Diego knew that there was not going to be any flowers at the rocky hill. Upon reaching the top of the hill, Juan Diego was surprised to see that it was covered with colorful and beautiful flowers. Juan Diego, as he was asked to, collected the flowers using his overcoat and ran again to see the Bishop.

Juan Diego gave the coat full of flowers to the bishop, and here the bishop discovered the image of Virgin Mary's picture was miraculously traced on the coat. Seeing both the unseasonal flowers and the image of the Virgin, the Bishop realized Juan Diego had told him the truth and The Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe was built on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico City."

An outdoor lovely shrine to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

MORE OF THE STORY: "According to legend the Dark Virgin of Guadalupe (aka Coatlaxopeuh and Tonantzin) appeared before the peasant Juan Diego only ten years after the Spanish conquest. The symbolism of the Virgin of Guadalupe can be interpreted from both indigenous and Spanish perspectives. Whether or not the Virgin of Guadalupe actually appeared to the indigenous peasant Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac Hill is a question of faith. What is certain is that the cultural significance of her image for Latinos across the Americas is indelible.

According to anthropologists, the duality of her symbolism spoke to both Spanish and indigenous Nahuatl audiences in the sixteenth century.

Her very name, Guadalupe is the Spanish pronunciation of the Nahuatl name Coatlaxopeuh, a Mesoamerican fertility goddess.The well-known image is, according to scholars, full of a number of symbols that strongly relate it with the culture and history of the indigenous people." Source Credit

Visiting with Guadalupe devotees in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico

The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is of a woman with brown skin. This, and the fact that the account of her apparition to Juan Diego was related in texts in both Nahuatl and Spanish during the time of the Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, make her the ideal unifying force for what Mexico was to become: a mestizo blend of native and Spanish blood. The Virgin of Guadalupe is also identified with the Aztec earth goddess and mother of humankind.

In many ways, the image of La Guadalupana is one that unifies and reconciles Mexico's history and blends its Spanish and Aztec heritage. She is sometimes called the "first mestiza" or the "first Mexican."

Aztec dancers also participate in the annual Dia de Guadalupe parades in tribute to Juan Diego, the Aztec peasant, who witnessed the apparition of the the Virgin in 1531.

The legend of Juan Diego meeting the Lady of Guadalupe is also credited with the linking the polytheistic beliefs of the indigenous people of Mexico and Latin America with the Virgin Mary. "Our Lady of Guadalupe" (Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe) is considered a "Marian apparition" which is a supernatural appearance by the Virgin Mary and a 16th century Roman Catholic icon. Guadalupe is also Mexico's most popular religious image.

The original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is of a woman with brown skin. This photograph was taken in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, at one of the municipal markets and was decorated with Christmas ornaments.

Juan Diego by Miguel Cabrera, 1752
Juan Diego born 1474 in Cuyauhtitlan, Mexico and died 1548 in Tepeyac, Mexico

A modern day Juan Diego continues the tradition of Dia de Guadalupe celebrations in Mexico.

Music is a vital part of the annual Dia de Guadalupe celebrations throughout Mexico and it is no different in Puerto Vallarta.

More Aztec dancers marching in their colorful traditional wear while beating drums and shaking maracas rattles filled with seeds or pebbles.

Three children dressed in their traditional "Dia de Guadalupe" finery as seen at La Merced Church festivities in Antigua, Guatemala.

Greetings from this young senorita at the Dia de Guadalupe celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala

In 1745 Pope Benedict XIV declared Our Lady of Guadalupe patron of what was then called New Spain which corresponded to Spanish Central and Northern America. Pope Leo XIII authorized coronation of her image in 1895. Pope Saint Pius X proclaimed her patron of Latin America in 1910. In 1935 Pope Pius XI had a monument in her honor erected in the Vatican Gardens. In 1992 Pope John Paul II dedicated a chapel in her honor within St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. He also decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe patron of the Americas in 1999. And finally, Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego, the Mexican peasant, in 2002 who first witnessed the apparition of the Virgin.

This muchacho is dressed as a young Juan Diego at the Dia de Guadalupe celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala and is my favorite "Juan Diego."

Father and son dressed in their "peasant" finery representing Juan Diego during the Puerto Vallarta parades. Please note the "bigote,"or moustache, which is a must for both Papa and nino!

I believe this was the youngest "Juan Diego" participant I saw in the annual Dia de Guadalupe celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala. Que guapo!

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe) is a Roman Catholic church, basilica and National shrine of Mexico in the north of Mexico City. The shrine was built near the hill of Tepeyac where Our Lady of Guadalupe is believed to have appeared to Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. This site is also known as La Villa de Guadalupe or, in a more popular sense, simply La Villa, as it has several churches and related buildings. The new Basilica houses the original tilma (or cloak) of Juan Diego which holds the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. One of the most important pilgrimage sites of Catholicism, the basilica is visited by several million people every year, especially around 12 December, Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast day.

HISTORY OF THE BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

A mural and tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe (aka Virgin Mary) as seen in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Another "Juan Diego" celebrating the birth of Our Lady of Guadalupe at La Merced Church in Antigua, Guatemala.

There are eleven nights of parades in Puerto Vallarta in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe who is also the patron saint of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known locally as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, in Puerto Vallarta.

Celebrating Dia de Guadalupe in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico and aren't you handsome and proud!

This photograph was taken in San Miguel de Allende where an altar/shrine had been set up in honor of the Virgin - simply lovely!

Irregardless of personal beliefs or persuasions DIA DE LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE is one of the most important and celebrated occasions in Latin America which is certainly true in Mexico and Guatemala. Feliz cumpleanos (happy birthday) to Our Lady of Guadalupe! I have included photographs which were taken during the Dia de Guadalupe celebrations while living in both Mexico and Guatemala.

DIA DE GUADALUPE PHOTO ALBUM

Thank you for joining me in this special holiday and wishing you well wherever your travels should take you. Until next time, remember memories are only a click or tap away!

Mexico and Beyond: Laura's Photo Journey could not be happier than celebrating another birthday and I can hardly believe it's my eight! It is with thanks and gratitude that you, my blog followers, have joined me in this journey. Because without you this blog would be just a figment of my imagination. Gracias from the bottom of my heart and I am looking forward to another year of blogging.

The following links will take you to this years blog postings and I hope you enjoy revisiting them.

Sunday, December 25, 2022

I have published a number of blog postings on the Christmas holidays in Latin America. Consequently, this holiday I am sharing some of my favorite images from those postings. I hope you enjoy them also.

Santa Claus even convinced Rudolph to make a pitstop on the west coast of Mexico.

I can't remember where and when, but had to include Rudolph!

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Colorado, United States of America

Epiphany Day parade, Ecuador

Monday, December 12, 2022