The Complexities of The Virgin

The Virgin de Guadalupe and Mexico are synonymous. She is a big business here.  Everywhere you go, she is a money making machine.  There are statuettes, cartoon backpacks, night lights and even cute Japanimation styled Virgins to stick on your car. You see tattoos, plates, garden statues and countless roadside shrines where the Virgin is constantly kept alight by cheap light bulbs or fairy lights stuffed into her cubby hole.  She is everywhere and everything to Mexico.  As crazy as it sounds, legend has it that the reason she appeared in Mexico was because she was Mexican!  Imagine, the mother of Christ was a Mexican!  It is no wonder why the Mexicans are crazy about her; they even call her the ‘Patroness of the Americas’.  You may see Jesus on a dashboard here, maybe a giant sticker on a cab, and a poorly bloodied statue stuck away in some of the churches, but there is no question that he is lost in the shadow of  The Virgin.  Ironic, because as the ‘legend’ unfolds, it is Christ who will give himself to keep her alive.

As I have said before, I try to brush up on my Mexican history whenever I can, and I knew that the place where the Virgin appeared to a little Indian guy was very near here, but I was not clear where.  Depending on who you ask, it was in the city and others say it was far away.  To my pleasant surprise, it is in the city, just out on the northern edge.  I am not Catholic but I was interested in going to see this holy place, the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which I have read is the most visited Holy shrine for Catholics worldwide. History is a complicated thing, and religious history is extremely complex and complicated. Imagine the headache of conquering a nation and trying to tie in their old world pagan beliefs with your new world views and making your Virgin take precedent over their goddess. This is the battle of St. Luke's Virgin versus Juan Diego’s Virgin. It is crazy and very complicated.

The story around the Virgin is a strange one indeed.  It keeps me scratching my head, and typical of old legends, there are different versions of what happened.  From what I have read, this is what I have gathered:  Before Cortes had pillaged the people here; the Indians were a pagan bunch who worshiped the goddess Tonantzin at Tepeyac, where the current Basilica stands.  The Spaniards were a religiously rabid bunch as well, and had brought their own Virgin with them when they came to conquer the new world. It did help the to conquer the Muslims on their own turf in previous excursions. (Cortes was stung by a scorpion while in Mexico, and after making it back to health, he presented a gold scorpion as an offering to his Virgin).  There was a battle with the Aztecs at Tepeyac…which makes sense for the Aztecs, because this was a holy place for them, of their most esteemed goddess, Tonantzin.  Cortes had his Virgin in tow, and on display at the bottom of the hill.  Who would have ever guessed that the site of this battle would house a famous shrine to the observing Virgin one day?  The Aztecs fought for their goddess and the Spanish for their Virgin.  Like a typical conqueror does, after the defeat of the natives, the Spanish were to soon tear down all the pagan sites and erect their own places of worship on the previous sites.  The Catholic Church could not condone pagans still worshiping their pagan gods and goddesses.  Something had to be done.

Here is where the story gets interesting.  In 1531, a ‘converted’ and conquered Indian was walking near the previous pagan site of worship, when he heard a beautiful voice.  It was the Virgin calling to him.  She told him to build a church on this very spot, so that all the people could worship her.  He was to deliver this message to the local Spanish priest, who of course, laughed it off.  She re-appeared to him the next day.  He told her he was laughed off, and she said that he should take the Spanish priest proof.  She had miraculously and suddenly made roses to bloom and told the Indian to take off his cape, wrap up the roses and take the flowers to the priest as proof of divine intervention.  When he got back to the priest, he opened his cape to show the roses, et voila!  There is a miraculous painting of the Virgin inside his cape…yes, the very same image you see all over the country!  Most unbelievable is that the very painting inside the cape, which is about 500 years old, is still on display in the new Basilica to this very moment!

The famous cape with The Virgin's image.

This is a complex story, as there is no real documentation of the meeting ever truly taking place.  The first written indication of the event appears over 100 years after the incident happened.  At the time, the local monks were perplexed as to why the Virgin that appeared to the Indian had dark skin, like the rest of the Indians. She didn’t exactly mirror the Virgin the Spanish had.  They also thought it odd she appeared on the sacred spot of their pagan goddess, Tonantzin.  The dates of the appearance were fishy too, she showed herself to the poor Indian at almost the exact date when the Aztecs would hold a festival for the goddess.  Fast forward to the obvious conclusion:  The church would have to ‘accept’ this new version of the Virgin into their belief system, and allow the Indians to bring their goddess into the Catholic realm to keep peace among everyone.  A church was erected.  They had turned a blind eye, so to speak.

The 'Old' Basilica.

Yes, the Virgin of Guadalupe is one with Mexico.  It is the national symbol and their national pride.  It is uniting and empowering, and it was quickly adopted by the newly conquered nation as proof of their validity as a culture and a race.She is the embodiment of all that is Mexico.

When Spain conquered Mexico, Cortes brought his own Virgin to aid in the demise and to help set up the new Spain. When Mexico fought for its independence from Spain, the Virgin was instrumental in their plight.  She came, she conquered, and she would conquer again. She was actually awarded the rank of General.  The first president of Mexico was named Guadalupe Victoria.  Eventually, she would be crowned the Queen of Mexico.  The crown is on display at the Basilica museum, and yes, I saw it.  I must admit, I was confused as I stood looking at the jeweled crown, I kept asking thinking I had misunderstood, ‘How does one crown an entity that one cannot touch or see or even speak with?’  Of course, while she was crowned Queen, the warring faction fighting against the ‘system’ also adopted the Virgin as patroness of their leader, Zapata.  So the state crowned her while the rebels called on her to bring down the state. Go figure.

It all gets too much for some (and for me too follow as well), and in 1921 a zealot plants a bomb in the Basilica to blow the place up.  The bomb goes off but the image of the Virgin is safe.  It was an iron statue of Jesus which saves the Virgin, as he is blown to bits and absorbs the explosion.  True.  The remnants of the blown up Christ are on display in the new Basilica.  After the bombing, the original Basilica had been closed to the public for about 50 years, until they built a brand new, ‘purpose built’ Basilica and grounds which could accommodate more people. Above the new main entrance it reads, (roughly translated) 'I am not here, yet I am your mother'.

Standing on the grounds of the Basilica I had no idea what to think.  It is a lot to take in and I was confused on what exactly happened where. The stories vary wildly and are heavily scrutinized.  I was amazed at the sight of the huge area between the old and new Basilicas.  Obviously, on Dec. 12, the place is a mound of bodies as pilgrims come from the world over to pay their due to the Virgin.  They pitch tents here and camp out and do whatever it is they do when they worship on the 12th.  The place is massive, and so is the space beneath the roof of the new 70’s-styled cathedral.  You can see the ‘actual’ cape with the image of the Virgin still on display, wayyyy up in the back of the Basilica, beneath the huge cylindrical chandeliers.  There are people everywhere, praying, meditating, sitting quietly and on my way out, even passed some crawling on their knees down the main aisle to be in the presence of the sacred cape. Some of the handicapped and worse off sit by the entrances and around the building, taking donations and probably trying to get healed. Definitely a true sight.

The vast space between Basilicas.  There is a jumbo TV screen on that thing in the back too.

Inside the 'modern' Basilica.

I was partial to the 'old', original basilica.  This is where the history is.  It is also filled with statues, saints and altars upon altars.  I have no idea of who is being worshiped and who all of these people are.  We had come Easter weekend, and in preparation for the Easter celebrations, they had covered up the main altar.  I was a bit disappointed to see a huge drape over everything, and a crucifix had been pushed out in front so people could still pay their respects.  Beside the main altar, there was a huge 'purplish' altar erected.  I am assuming this one was to Mary.  Everyone was stopping and kneeling and saying their prayers.  I stood in wonderment as to why there were Chia pets on the floor as part of the altar.  I also noticed two estranged hands upon the cross above Mary. Odd.

I move through the Basilica observing what was going on.  Every statue had a group of people worshiping at it.  At one side of the room was a huge painting of the 'Conversion of the Indians' , with the obligatory painting of the Virgin set up below it.  This was a big thing because as the flow of people wrapped around the main hall, many of them stopped, knelled and bowed their heads to the painting.  I just kept looking up, down and all around, following the flow and stopping where the masses did to see what was in front of me.  Following the flow through the halls and to the right, you eventually come to the gift shop.

Outside of the original church, there is a nice big statue of Pope John Paul II, (I think it was him) .Part of  the original Basilica also houses a museum which is full, of course, with loads of images of the Virgin throughout the ages.  Around the old Basilica, scattered on the grounds are other smaller chapels and shrines.  There is a simple one, dedicated to the native Indians, which is very plain and lots of wood. For whatever reason, the throngs of people here that day were not too interested in this one. There is one near the Indian one, El Pozo, which has a well that supposedly houses sacred, healing water.

El Pozo with the sacred well.

Behind the basilica is the hill where it all took place.  On top there is a chapel dedicated to Juan Diego, the guy whose famous cape is on display.  Inside is the whole story told via paintings that wrap around the walls. To get to the chapel on the hill, there is a beautiful walkway twisting and turning all the way up, and lined with flowers and fountains.  There are also loads of guys lining the walkway who are happy to throw a sombrero on you, a serape and have you sit on a fake donkey for a souvenir photo of your visit to the sacred Basilica. 

One of the souvenir photo spots.

Atop the hill, you can see out over the grounds of the Basilica and the city.  Catholic or not, it is impressive to see all of this. Whether or not the Virgin appeared to Juan on this very spot is not the point-what is important is that this is the place that millions believe it to have happened.  I am just thankful to be able to see it, and take it all in. This is truly an important place. I think there are two key places to visit when in Mexico that truly sum up what the country is about.  One, in the center of town where Cortes met with the Moctezuma;  the other is here, where the new found country built its faith and identity.  There is so much history right here. Yes, this is Mexico, right here where my feet are.

The old and the new, from on top of the hill.

I did want one of the souvenir photos…but no one was willing to pose with me for the keepsake.