Week 5: La Virgen de Guadalupe

    I always looked at La Virgen de Guadalupe as an angelic, ethereal and holy figure, though growing up I did not know much about her. I'd see images of her printed on tall candles at stores, on gold necklaces that I can recall some of my neighborhood friends wearing on their collars, and often around Christmastime where some of my neighbors would display a beautifully decorated shrine. I did not grow up Catholic, but always had several admirations and questions about their important figureheads. I always understood that there was a purity associated with La Virgen, whether in Catholicism or Christianity, however I was not taught to I guess prioritize her in my prayers. It was Jesus Christ or the Father to pray to, and Mary or La Virgen was more so a vessel and the than a saint. This was very interesting to me that in Catholicism, a woman was at the forefront of worship, but of course rather than the typical very patriarchal figureheads within the Western theological canon. But to see the backlash that artists such as Yolanda Lopez received for their reclamation of both holiness and femininity was perplexing in a way. I was also taught growing up that no images of God or the Lord were supposed to be depicted, so La Virgen always stuck out to me because it was like she was the exception, but I didn't know much about her or have a strong connection to her. I look forward to reading about people's experiences and relations with her.