The story of dark-skinned Virgin who appeared to a humble native named Juan Diego on his way to mass across the Tepeyac hill in 1531, is one of the most famous examples of syncretism in the New World. According to oral tradition, the Virgin spoke in Náhuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and addressed Juan Diego by his name. The Virgin made several other apparitions to Juan Diego and asked him to deliver a message to the Bishop of Mexico--her wish to have a church built on the very spot where she first appeared to him. As legend has it, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga ordered the construction of a sanctuary on the hill of Tepeyac when he witnessed roses miraculously fall from Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak) and he saw the Virgin’s image imprinted on the very cloth. The story led to the spread of the Virgin’s devotion as she became popular with both indigenous and other groups throughout Mexico.
The present work depicts a sweet-faced, pious young woman with golden rays emanating from her silhouette. A crown upon her head denotes her as Queen of the Heavens. Flanking her in each corner of the painting and in the lower register, are scenes illustrating her miraculous appearances to Juan Diego. An abundance of roses—symbols of the Virgin’s love—cascade down the sides of the painting. Here, the Virgin appears like a tender mother figure, drawing parallels to the Aztec goddess of fertility and the earth, Tonantzin. Indeed, Tepayac Hill, what became the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was an important Aztec place of worship for this “sacred mother.” Thus, the legend of La Guadalupana, provided a link between New Spain’s colonial present and the region’s ancient cultural heritage—a link which in effect provided a powerful argument for Spain’s so-called “divinely-ordained” mission in the Americas.
By the mid-18th century, when this work was likely painted, La Guadalupana had become ubiquitous throughout Nueva España as a miracle-producing image. Moreover, her image served as a potent symbol of mestizaje, or the complex mixing of cultures and races, that came to define the New World. Today, the image of Virgin of Guadalupe far surpasses her religious significance and has become intrinsically linked to notions of Mexican national identity.