Week 2: Virgin de Guadalupe

Paul Botello, Virgin's Seed, 1991 in East Los Angeles

As you can see above, the Virgin de Guadalupe means a lot to my family. That is a mural painted by my tio who uses Guadalupe as the main subject. The blue giant (to the left) represents the future and reflects the artists concern over the effects of pollution and other environmental crises. While the other giant (to the right) is a womyn who holds the gift of knowledge in her hand. My tio uses the Virgin as a contemporary tribute to a traditional Mexican icon. She gives hope and value to what we are most concerned with in today's societies--such as the environment and death--while also giving strength to those who thrive for knowledge and education. She is our cultures sense of faith. 

In regards to the feminist interpretations of Chicana artists and about questioning the legend/icon, I always found it interesting that Guadalupe has always existed in tension since I grew up in an environment who embraced her existence. As an art historian, most classes in Mexican art and architecture after the conquest would explain that people viewed Guadalupe as a symbol of the indigenous world with the use of the colors and stars on her clothing, as well as the winged angle placed below. Historians would interpret this as a representation of ancient deities, such as Quetzalcoatl. This served as a protection against "colonial domination" to the indigenous peoples of Mexico as well as a contemporary protection against oppression. 

It is fascinating to read that Chicana artists interpret Guadalupe iconography as controlling and subservient. This is due to the "yards of fabric and the angel" that is preventing Guadalupe from moving. It is great to see and understand that Chicana artists question the icon by challenging traditional gender constructions, patriarchy within the catholic church and capitalists by embracing the power of "feminine sanctity, working-class empowerment, sexual freedom, and Chicana activist inspiration".