post 5

 La Virgen de Guadalupe was never a dominant presence in my life. i grew up Jewish and as such there was never any depiction of god, and in general we didn't have depictions of religious figures in our household. however my mother is catholic and so the image did come up time to time, though even then not much as her family's most important saint, as passed down by their mother is san cristobal. and to be honest it wasn't until i was much older maybe 17 that i even knew that there was a distinction that was culturally significant between mary and Guadalupe. 

Outside of looking up images or seeing small photos of La Virgen de Guadalupe in households I have never really seen large scale depictions wholy or otherwise though at this point in my life her image is widely identifiable. the aesthetics of her have become something of interest to me, the stars of her shawl and the traditional halo of light which we show around spiritual and religious figures. However, to me I see her as another latina, one which is deeply revered and aesthetically recognizable but more of an iconic figure then a role model. 

Now I understand her religious significance, but still through a degree of separation. I can see her beauty, and her emotional relevance through another's eyes, and to me she is more than a thing. to me she seems like another piece of art, and whether my perception will change with more understanding of what she represents is yet to be seen.