Our Lady of Guadalupe
FOR A TIME THERE WAS CORN and there were chiles, and there were handmade tortillas, and there were piñatas. And there was Guadalupe. I remember her image laid on a cut slice of wood and varnished over. I remember her looking down from the wall. And I remember how kind she felt to me…with her gold, and her aqua, and her eyes.
YESTERDAY WAS A DAY THAT MANY recognized and celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe.
One of the earliest icons in my memory is La Virgen de Guadalupe. There is no Catholicism in my life, there was no Church. There was no Mary. There was little cultura de México, and what there was was not there for too long. There was always my name. For a while there was corn, and chiles, and there were handmade tortillas, and there were piñatas. And there was Guadalupe. I remember her image laid on a cut slice of wood and varnished over. I remember her looking down from the wall. And I remember how kind she felt to me…with her gold, and her aqua, and her eyes. How…good. I really knew nothing of her and yet for years I carried her image in my mind.
Decades later, when I saw her again, her image was like a homing beacon. One that pointed toward a special part of my past, one where I could go and where no one could follow me. A good, pure place that always remains.
Tags: La Virgen de Guadalupe, Our Lady of Guadalupe
Posted in Cultura, History, Latinos, Mexico, Raza
Well, that explains it. I came home from work last night, exhausted. I knew I had to light my Lady of Guadalupe candle. I hadn’t lit it in months. I didn’t grow up Catholic. A friend gave me an appreciation for the Virgin and Catholic iconography. Still, I don’t recall coming across any mention of the Lady’s day. I just had to light that candle. I sat with it for a while, then went to bed.
The only reason I know the first goddamn thing about Our Lady is from seeing an episode of Wishbone where they told her story. You get to be weird when you are exposed to a lot of PBS and NPR growing up.
This post made me happy to read.
How lovely.
Not everyone has the same hallowed sentience about Lupita como tu y yo, hermano.
The Sun
http://tinyurl.com/6jzf5g
Reuters
http://tinyurl.com/5aqcec
me too, she’s always constant, always loving.
I love this post! I know there’s a lot to be angry/outraged/disgusted about but it’s nice to recognize and acknowledge the good our culture brings to this country!
She is the goddess Tonantzin. The church stole her, as it does all its saints, from the religion of the people whom it conquers then oppresses.
Religion is the opiate of the masses, amigos.
while i also agree with you, i have to let you know my friend that nobody stole her from me. nor will they now…