Week 2: La Santa Virgen

The image of the Virgin Mary was an important religious icon that constantly presented itself in my childhood. Growing up in a catholic household, although not religious at all, brought images of various Santos y Santas, Jesus y su madre La Virgen de Guadalupe. I remember attending church and occasional events where we prayed to the virgin to serve us a miracle which mostly involved caring for our grandparents across the Mexican border and having better days ahead of us. I just looked up at images of her with veneration but never gave much thought to her as a woman. To me La Virgen was known as Jesus mother and I guess as I analyze now I never acknowledged her as having an identity outside of that. My mother had framed images of her, candles, calendars and gold necklaces and string ones. Plenty of iconography but the religious devotion was not as present unless there were special occasions like baptisms or confirmations. And it seems as time passed by and I grew up the image of La Virgen got lost along with the very little sense of religion we had in our household. Sure an image of La Virgen that was taken from the cover of a Spanish newspaper is still framed in my mother’s living room but it no longer holds any significance for me and it seems as not much for her as well although she still holds onto her beliefs. La Virgen was also a cultural icon for me more than a religious one as I saw her in various images around my neighborhood including this mural in Pacoima that's only a few blocks from my place.

Seeing La Virgen presented in a lot of Chicana artist’s pieces, especially those that try to make feminist statements seems quite revolutionary to me. Gaspar de Alba's lecture at our class and her experience within the chicana artist realm made me see the connections between LaVirgen and her place in Chicana feminists space. I enjoy the idea of giving La Virgen an identity separate from her as a mother or as attached to the male image of Jesus and Juan Diego. It is quite exciting to me because it allows me to see La Virgen as someone I can connect to better. As a regular women like me. Seeing her in images with walking tacones, fondling Sirenitas breasts gives her an identity as a powerful strong women that does not have to be constantly held in a pedestal but that can also live a little and have some fun of her own just like I wish every women can. I also really enjoy the idea that these chicanas are interpreting this religious iconography in their own way and reclaiming it as theirs which is what art expression is all about.