How Did The Virgin Mary Influence Mexican Culture

1149 Words3 Pages

Stacy Panfilo
Professor Melissa Moran
CHLS 104
April 26, 2015
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s influence on Mexican Culture
The Virgin Mary plays a crucial role in the devolvement of Latin culture. Looking at Mexico in particular, many of the country’s traditions and beliefs are founded on the basis of religion. The Virgin Mary’s significance in influencing Latin culture is evident in history as well as present traditions such as the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
According to a comprehensive demographic study by the PewResearch Center the number of people who identified themselves as Christians has nearly quadrupled since 1910. In particular, Mexico was ranked third with 95% of the population identifying as Christian. Another similar study by PewResearch …show more content…

Although there are many scholars that speculate the time and accuracy of the Virgin Mary’s rise in popularity due to the apparitions on Tepeyac Hill, none seem to disagree on her heavy influence and importance to Mexican People.
“It allowed that religion to bridge divides of belief, language, and practice to become a meaningful, unifying moral force across differences of race, class, and gender as well as politics and place, centering on a Guadalupe who still remains a powerful and compassionate figure.” (Kellogg 409)
Similarly to Kellogg, Conover argues against the apparition of the Virgin Mary as being the driving force that gave way to the Virgin’s rise to popularity and instead argues that it was a combination of many factors including practicality rather than “unique and mystical” appeal. (255). This debate has sparked a lot of controversy amongst historians and there has been a split between apparitionists and anti-apparitionists over The Virgin Mary’s rise to popularity. Historians seek to understand how the Virgin Mary became so prominent in the lives of so many people to a country once foreign to the idea of Christianity however; despite much speculation her influence in Mexico’s culture is irrefutable. In 2002 Pope John Paul II declared our lady of Guadalupe the patroness of the Americas and made Juan Diego the first official indigenous

Show More
Related

  • Aztecsinga Clendinnen

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Inga Clendinnen's Aztecs:An Interpretation is an outstanding book dealing with investigations into how the Mexica peoples may have veiwed the world in which they lived. From the daily life of a commoner to the explosively, awe inspiring lives of the priests and warriors. Clendinnen has used thoughtful insights and a fresh perspective that will have general readers and specialist readers alike engaged in a powerful and elegantly written interpretation that is hard to put down without reflection upon this lost culture.

    Read More

  • Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The True History of the Conquest of New Spain

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Lady Of Guadalupe Character Analysis

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Our lady of Guadalupe is the most venerated and respected by the Catholics. The appearance of the Virgin caused a great commotion in the Catholic Church. Ever since the Virgin's first appearance, Catholics have respected and acquired so much faith to the Virgin. The lady of Guadalupe has so many faithful followers that believe in her without any hesitation because of the miracles that she has made for the people that were once suffering and were miraculously helped by her. Because of the help that she has provided for those who were suffering people never forget her and they celebrate the day of her appearance every year by doing parties in her honor. The Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance certainly changed the belief of Catholics and, I believe

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Borderlands By Anzaldúa

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a broad term that has yet to gain a set definition in the fields of anthropology or sociology. Nevertheless, it is an extremely important concept for understanding the history of Mexico. Many aspects of modern Mexico can be seen as examples of syncretism between the indigenous and Western, colonial traditions. For example, the Virgin of Guadalupe is a prominent Catholic religious symbol in Mexico. On one hand, she is a firmly Christian symbol and on the other she bares resemblance to the Aztec mother goddess and is depicted as indigenous in some cases . Syncretism can be seen as the process through which the Longue Durée is propagated, as it allows for traditions to grow and evolve over

    Read More

  • Death comes for the archbishop

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    This book is considered an American Classic due to its longevity in popular literature. It also provides the important historical background on the Catholic Church and its impact on the American Southwest. Willa emphasizes, through her writings, the hardships of the people involved in making this part of America what it is today. It points out the influence of the earliest Spanish missionaries of the 16th century through the latter part of the 19th century involving French missionaries and exposes the corruptness as well as the dedication of the missionaries of the church. The book’s main setting is in the 19th century, during the settlement of New Mexico and Colorado and recalls the journeys that a priest undertook and the hardships overcame in order to meet his and the churches goal of bringing the Catholic faith to Mexicans and native Indians. Through his travels and the spiritual work in the beautiful, yet rough environment he was radically transformed. He was especially influenced by the experiences of the westward movement of the agricultural frontier because of the impact of the native people.

    Read More

  • The Christo Aparecido

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Forms of Oppression in Ana Castillo's So Far from God

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Delgadillo, Theresa. "Forms of Chicana Feminist Resistance: Hybrid Spirituality in Ana Castillo's So Far From God."Modern Fiction Studies. 44.4 (1998): 888-914. Delgadillo, Theresa. "Forms of Chicana Feminist Resistance: Hybrid Spirituality in Ana Castillo's So Far From God."Modern Fiction Studies. 44.4 (1998): 888-914. .

    Read More

  • Aztec Women in Society

    1531 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, what words are being told in the Codex Mensoza 1964, Lám (Brumfiel 1991: 224) and more importantly what influential role did the Spanish heritage have in the artifacts? These credentials were offered as a form of recognition of Aztec women’s productive activities in Mexico. Nevertheless, Bromfiel paints a different picture of the Aztec women. In these sketches, Brumfiel draws our attention to the background in which the women are performing their “productive activities.” At first glance, these images portray Aztec women.

    Read More

  • Mexicans and The Lady of Guadalupe

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Teaching Religion and Science In Public Schools

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Now Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print

    Read More

  • Essay On Oaxaca Culture

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Explanation- This article gives examples of how indigenous people used to live before the colonization of Christopher Columbus. After the appearance of Christopher Columbus in Mexico different ethnic groups were distributed amongst different states along with their different languages. In the state of Oaxaca there around sixteen different ethnic groups which the Mixtecs and the Zapotecs are the two main ethnos who have continued to expand amongst the territory. During the Spanish conquest the Mixtec and the Zapotecs’ religion was mostly based on belief in the vital force that animated all living things, meaning that they worshiped the land and the creator. Throughout this day there are still indigenous people who believe and practice their ideology, and the “modernized” are set to practice Catholicism.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Gil Cubiros And Cuadro's City Of God

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    Catholicism glorifies and represents mothers as the main foundation of the family through the example of the passive and unconditional loving Mary, the mother of Jesus Crist. This idea of the mother as unconditional lover beings has been passed on and reproduced in the Chicana/o community. Gil Cuadros and Reyna Grande through their autobiographical work testify against this predominate idea of the mothers being caring and loving persons. Even though most mothers fall into the norm of a normal mother, normality is subjective, therefore Cuadros and Grande’s work represent the complexities of reality. Grande’s The Distance Between Us and Cuadro’s City of God are autobiographical narratives that incorporate reality as a form of testimonial of existence, an act of healing and resilience. Given that these author’s life experiences can be

    Read More

  • Mayan Religion

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Central America, most notably the Yucatan Peninsula, are the Maya, a group of people whose polytheistic religion and advanced civilization once flourished (Houston, 43). The Maya reached their peak during the Classic Period from around CE 250 to the ninth century CE when the civilization fell and dispersed (Sharer, 1). Although much has been lost, the gods and goddesses and the religious practices of the Classic Maya give insight into their lives and reveal what was important to this society. The major Mayan gods and goddesses all have common characteristics and, according to “features which they share in large part with the gods of neighboring people of Middle America” (Thompson, 198). One of these characteristics is that Mayan gods and goddesses have “features which they share in large part with the gods of neighboring people of Middle America” (Thompson, 198).

    Read More

  • Our Lady Of Guadalupe

    2185 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Snow, Yolanda by Julia Alvarez

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    Suaréz, Lucia M. “Julia Alvarez And The Anxiety Of Latina Representation.” Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism 5.1 (2004): 117-145. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 25 Mar.2014.

    Read More

More about How Did The Virgin Mary Influence Mexican Culture

Open Document