“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet… She was with Child…” from Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation. With Pope Francis’ current ongoing visit to Mexico, the most anticipated event was his visit to Mexico’s national shrine to Mary, mother of Jesus. The shrine, known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, houses the original cloak of Juan Diego with Mary’s image, as she appeared to him in 1531. On Mary’s fourth apparition, she asked him, “No estoy yo aqui, que soy tu madre?” Translated into, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” This phrase is inscribed over the main entrance of the Basilica and is widely used in Mexico, especially by my mother. Born in 1474, indigenous Mexican native peasant, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas because he had been granted five separate apparitions with the Virgin Mary. It is believed that she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, who at the …show more content…
This woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary while speaking to him in his native language and gave him her message. He then sought after the archbishop of Mexico City to inform him of what happened, but the archbishop was a bit skeptical and wanted evidence. On his way back home that day, he saw her again and was advised to keep repeating her request. On Sunday, December 10, hoping to be given a miraculous sign of her identity, was granted one for the following day. Juan Diego was unable to meet with her on Monday because he had to tend to his dying uncle and was forced to bring a priest to him on Tuesday. Having missed his promised meeting with her the day before, he took an alternate route in hopes of avoiding her. Taking a different path failed him because the Virgin Mary intercepted him and that is when she asked the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe
One of the most interesting aspects of Diaz’s narrative is towards the end when Cortés broaches the subject of Christianity with Montezuma. Conversion and missionary work was one of the most important and lasting goals of the conquistadors and other contemporary explorers, they were charged with this duty by the rulers who sent t...
Even though Pepita was much more understanding and polite to her caretaker, the Marquesa did not give Pepita quality time. The only happiness the Marquesa could find satisfying was the love and kindness from her beloved daughter, Doña Clara. Eventually, the Marquesa learned of her biological daughter’s pregnancy. She subsequently went into a mode of superstition and “became a mine of medical knowledge and suggestion” (p. 31). For instance, she “refused to allow a knot in the house” and “the stairs even steps were marked with red chalk and a maid who accidentally stepped upon an even step was driven from the house with tears and screams.” (p. 31). The Marquesa even made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Santa María de Cluxambuqua, where “The ground had been holy through three religions” (p. 32). As Pepita and the Marquesa crossed the Bridge of San Luis Rey for their pilgrimage to Cluxambuqua, Marquesa’s focal point was her love for her daughter. The Marquesa made her way to the shrine as she left Pepita alone for their stay at the inn. Meanwhile, as Pepita was alone, she began to write a loving letter to her former and loyal
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, born as Juana Ramirez de Azbaje, is a well-known extraordinary figure from the colonial period. Sor Juana had a desire for education at such a young age. In the seventeenth century, it was the intellectual midpoint of Spanish colonial America. During this time Mexico City was politically and religiously the center of New Spain; the terrains went from California to Central America. In Latin American history the church and state defined women’s roles, which eventually change over time. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz articulated her experiences though writing, she broke silence about racial and gender inequality, and her legacy remains today.
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
Castillo first shows the reader her distrust of patriarchy and its vertical structures through La Loca Santa’s death. The first structure under scrutiny here is the Catholic Church. After La Loca awakens she throws herself into the air and lands on the top of the Church, saying that those below her carry the same scent that she had smelled while in hell. With Loca high above the others she can be seen as a “substation” for a new Chicana Christ figure (Delgadillo 895). She tells those gathered below that she has been sent back to pray for them so that they would be able to see their Creator in heaven. Father Jerome pleads with her to come down so that the congregation could pray for her. She then reminds him that it is she that was sent to pray for them. With La Loca in the position of a Christ figure of the system, the structure of the system, in this case religion,...
The people of Mexico choose to acknowledge her instead of the Virgin Mary because she is of their own culture, thus making her a more appealing godly figure to praise. She came to the people of Mexico during a time that they needed a religion, and she was able to make them feel comfortable about everything she had to offer to them. She did this by giving them comfort through connecting with them through their own culture.
In this paper, I examine the ways in which living in poverty negatively impacts the health of African-Americans, based on the ethnographic family history and study of health care policy recounted by Laurie Kaye Abraham in Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America. I will focus first on the barriers that poverty creates to health care on a structural and personal level. I will then discuss how the unique stresses of poverty construct specific behavioral and emotional patterns which reinforce systemic problems to exacerbate poor health outcomes.
Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.
...Marina, Cortes Translator." Women in World History : MODULE 6. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. .
"Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
Chapter 10 of Laurie Kaye Abraham’s Mama Might Be Better Off Dead mainly discusses the spread of preventable illnesses and the possible reasons poor areas have low immunization rates. Child immunization clinics fail to reach poor children because they are overburdened with patients, leading to long wait times. These clinics often require doctors to give a complete physical before giving shots and do not track children’s immunization records. Little effort goes into case management, which could assist in ensuring that vulnerable populations come in for preventative care. The author condemns Medicaid as a culprit for these other factors since states curtail expenses by creating barriers for poor families that would benefit from its programs. The argument about the majority of Medicaid spending going to nursing-home care versus to care for poor children and women is compelling and upsetting. How could a program designed primarily for the protection of poor children and mothers neglect to provide families with preventative care?
In 1531, ten years after the capture of Mexico City, a poor Indian named Juan Diego left his house to attend divine service in the beginning of December. On his way he passed the hill of Tepeyacac ("Hill of the Nose", in Nahuatl) and he heard beautiful music from the top of the hill. The music was heavenly; he heard the most beautiful songbirds singing soft and pleasant. He wondered if he was worthy of hearing such beautiful music, and if maybe it was a dream. He thought he might have died and gone to heaven. Over the sounds of birds Juan heard a voice from the hilltop; however, it did not frighten him. In fact he was strangely set at ease by the voice. He climbed the hill in search of the mysterious voice. When he reached the top of the hill he saw a magnificent woman who appeared to glow like nothing he had ever seen before. She radiated like the sun, and the stones that she was standing on were like gems beneath her feet. The foliage surrounding the magnificent woman was full of translucent colors that glimmered in the radiating light.
As the contractions began to grip my stomach, I realized that my life would forever be changed. Knowing the old me had to die in order for me to become a new me. After being abandon at the age of five, I grew up feeling lonely and unloved. I was filled with so much anger, malice, hurt and unforgiveness that I held against others. I didn’t have the luxury of living in a stable environment, because growing up I was always living from home to home. I had no intentions to strive for better, I had begun to allow my upbringing to be my excuse. Years of disappointment resulted in me caring less in others desire. I couldn’t love anyone because love was never shown to me, but
In 1491 Ignatius of Loyola was born into a noble Basque family in Guipuzcoa Spain. (Pavur, 217) His name was not originally Ignatius; at birth he was named Inigo of Loyola, until he changed it to Ignatius later in life. (Pollen, St. Ignatius) He later decided to become a soldier in the Spanish army and was fighting in the battle of Pamplona; the French were invading the Spanish castle there. (Muthleb) In the battle his leg was crushed by an enemy cannonball. (Caraman, 25-26) The French soldiers were so impressed by his courage that instead of taking him prisoner they took him to recover. (Muthleb) During his recovery he came extremely close to death. At one particular point ...
Becoming a mother has been the best part of my life. I became a mother at a very young age. I had no idea what to expect and was not in the least prepared for the journey that lie ahead. I have truly embraced motherhood and enjoy all the wonderful things it has taught me. While living through motherhood, I have found that it can teach you the most valuable lessons there are to learn. Being a mother has taught me how to have patience. I have also learned that being a mother takes a lot on mental and physical strength. My children have been the best to teach me how to juggle many tasks at once. They have made me strong. Even through some unexpected turns, I have learned how to get through hard times and really learn what it means to never give up. My children are my biggest blessing, and I hope they will learn valuable lessons through me. The skills I have learned from being a mother have helped me in my college journey.