Virgin of Guadalupe
The Virgin of Guadalupe is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary always associated with the venerated image. The image is enshrined within the Minor Basilica, which is the most visited Catholic city and pilgrimage. According to information, which was not recorded until the mid-seventeenth century, the Virgin of Guadalupe first appeared in December 1531 in Tepeyacac now known as Tepeyac in the northern part of Mexico City. She showed herself to a Christianized native called Juan Diego. The Virgin asked Juan if a church could be erected in her honor. Juan tried to persuade the Archbishop Juan de Zumarraga of the apparition in three instances, and succeed in his last persuasion. The Virgin of Guadalupe was a national emblem. Her cult welded together all the new Spanish strata. Since the onset of the sixteenth century, the Virgin of Guadalupe served as a symbol of freedom to the oppressed natives. Her meaning was later reiterated for various ruling parties in the times when the sociopolitical institutions existed, and were under reconstitution. There are many paintings of the Virgin Immaculate venerated in Mexico. Why is the painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe so outstanding?
The painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe has qualities that are easily replicable as human. The tilma (a cloak made of cactus fiber) was original of poor quality (Cuadriello et al, 2018). The painting had a rough surface which made it more difficult to wear. It was much less to paint a lasting image on it. However, the image is still present in many museums, and many scientists argue that there was no technique to used to treat the surface (Taylor, 2019). This painting could later be used as a powerful symbol for communal solidarity. Many Mexican Americans in the United States chose to maintain the images of the Virgin during the festive seasons of December 12. The revived festive seasons would proclaim the religious, social, and national loyalties throughout the Southwest regions in America (Harpster, 2018). The societies of the Guadalupanas would match together displaying the banners of the image of Virgin in the red and green colors of the Mexican flag. Additionally, the paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe would be made on cars, advertisements, calendars, and outdoor walls to act as a declarative emblem that identifies with a specific ethnic group. Many paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe in public murals and posters would act as a symbol to express Mexicanismo. Through the significance of the image as a symbol for communal solidarity, Caesar Chavez used her paintings as a key symbol that formed the framework for the strikes in the 1960s.
Tilma is a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe which has outlived in time and quality. Some people are skeptical that the image is some forgery or fraudulent. Consequently, there have been so many attempts to replicate the image. In all those attempts, the duplicates deteriorate faster than the original paintings (Harpster, 2018). In the mid-18th century, Miguel an artist produced some of the best-known copies of the painting. The Virgin of Guadalupe with four apparition was used in Mexican society and America due to its outstanding qualities. In the late 1980s, several artists challenged certain repertoire of images. In this conquest of the challenges, Virgin still earned her position in contesting for the powerful place. The passive Virgin was converted into a more relevant role model for women (Harpster, 2018). In this regard, other artists used the image and paintings of the Virgin to harshly condemn the church’s noninvolvement in the critical social issues such as the oppression of women in society. Women in ancient society in America were oppressed from various angles. A point worth remembering is that during the periods when the Virgins’ paintings were in use, most Mexican American women faced workforce alienation. These Mexican women adore the Virgin and those who professed Catholic ideas for good motives in society (Cuadriello et al, 2018). As a result, many women in this would look up to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Tilma has depicted the astonishing characteristics like that of a living human body. Several archeologists have analyzed tilma using infrared technology. The discovery is that tilma could maintain some temperatures the same as a living person. The paintings of the Virgin depict that of a gravid woman. One of the fascinating attributions of the paintings lies in the Virgin’s eye of the image. Just as the human eye would reflect an image, the painting of the eye of the Virgin was also done in a manner that it reflected images around it (Harpster, 2018). The human resemblance could explain why the paintings could give an image that could be used to present the Virgin in political society (Cuadriello et al, 2018). The paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe have political significance. During the tumultuous revolutionary decade, patriotism was highly allied with religion. The revolutionary decade after 1910 was characterized by most notorious rebels using the images of the Virgin. The leaders of the rebel armies such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa used the images of the Virgin of Guadalupe to support their courses action.
The paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to be virtually indestructible. Two incidences have happened in history that had the potential to harm the tilma (Harpster, 2018). The first incident was that of 1785 when a cleaner accidentally poured nitric acid solvent on the image. As usual, the nitric solvent would react with most paints destroying the paintings (Taylor, 2019). For the next one month after the spill, no identifiable destruction occurred to the paintings. The image to date is unscathed. The other incident is the 1921 anti-clerical activist bomb saga. An activist hid a bomb with 29 dynamite sticks in a pot of flowers and placed it in the Basilica at Guadalupe. The bomb exploded shattering the marble altar and twisting a brass crucifix. Tilma and its glass case remained intact.
In conclusion, the paintings of the Virgin of Guadalupe and its strong qualities make it so outstanding among the many paintings of the Virgin Immaculate. The exceptional attributes informed my choice for the painting. Such qualities include easily replicable characteristics to human beings, the long period of the paints and strength, and the astonishing attributes like those of human beings. The tilma used in the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is so strong that even a bomb blast, the image remains intact. The strength of the image and the paintings ensures the image is still available at the various museums in America and Mexico. The Virgin of Guadalupe with four apparitions 1776 gallery is thus a very viable source of history that can adequately explain the roles Virgin of Guadalupe played in the sociopolitical world as well as her contributions to the religious foundations.
References
Cuadriello, J., González, C. C., Hernández-Durán, R., Luber, K. C., & Poyo, G. E. (2018). San Antonio 1718: Art from Mexico. Trinity University Press.
Harpster, G. T. (2018). Carlo Borromeo’s Itineraries: The Sacred Image in Post-Tridentine Italy. University of California, Berkeley.
Taylor, W. B. (2019). Shrines and miraculous images: religious life in Mexico before the Reforma. University of New Mexico Press.