A Brief History of the Virgen de Guadalupe
From churches to street walls, the Virgen de Guadalupe is a near-universally revered figure in Mexican culture
As the year draws to a close and the yuletide season approaches, the month of December is an important month of significance to the practitioners of many different faiths and denominations throughout the world. This is particularly true for many followers of the Roman Catholic faith.
The beginning of the month marks the start of Advent, a season observed by Roman Catholics marked as preparation for the celebration of the Nativity at Christmas and celebrating the return of Christ as well. Needless to say, the season is peppered with variety and nuance among different celebrations. Mixing Christian and pagan traditions across different churches and regions, as well as contrasts between western and eastern orthodoxies.
However, for millions of Mexicans that practice the Roman Catholic faith, the 12th of December also marks another celebration of significance within the church, the feast day of the Virgen de Guadalupe.
It’s hard to understate just how omnipresent Catholicism is in much of Mexican culture. In fact, in many ways, religion has such sway amongst the Mexican diaspora that it even holds influence on aspects of non-secular Mexican culture as well. And perhaps nowhere is that more prevalent and obvious than the iconography of the Virgen de Guadalupe. A Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
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