Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Puerto Vallarta)

Mexico is the third largest country in Latin America following Brazil and Argentina.[7] The country itself is ethnically and regionally diverse with socioeconomic divisions between each region. Mexico is a nation characterised by the extremities of affluence and poverty with little middle classed classified citizens.[8] There is no official religion in Mexico due to the separation between religion and state however more than 80% of individuals affiliate with Roman Catholic religion.[9] The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located in Puerto Vallarta, a resort town that is situated on the pacific coast of Mexico in Jalisco state.[2] Originally commended as a place of culture and sanctity, Puerto Vallarta has transformed into a region of tourism and a place for recreationalist.[10] Puerto Vallarta located in Mexico is known for a vibrant place of celebration and festivities. It is simultaneously known for its beaches, marine life and resorts.[10]

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta

The history of Our Lady of Guadalupe and ultimately Catholicism in the North America’s surrounds the origin story of the Guadalupian Event. In December 1531 was when the Guadalupian Event took place. Juan Diego, a indigenous Mexican man was 57 years old when he took part in the interaction with La Virgen de Guadalupe.[11] Juan Diego, one of the main protagonists in the event and has been labelled the “Messenger of Hope”.[12] This occurrence between both Lady Guadalupe and Juan Diego was situated on the hill of Tepeyac to the north of Mexico City, which is where the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is currently located.[13] According to tradition this interaction took place on a winter’s day in 1531 as Juan Diego was crossing a hillside near the current Mexico City.[3] Lady Guadalupe initially asked Juan Diego to build a house, also known as a ‘casita’ on the hill. Juan Diego reported this to the local bishop twice which resulted in the bishop asking for proof. It was then again, the lady appeared to Juan Diego and requested that he collected flowers which was “a strange request because flowers were not in season in December”.[3] It is when he found an array of Castilian roses and assembled them into a tilma or coat which he returned to the bishop as evidence. The lore conveys that as he presented the coat, the flowers toppled to the ground and both the bishop and peasant discovered an image of La Virgen de Guadalupe on the inside.[14] Juan Diego did not hesitate to spread the news of his encounter with the ‘Holy Mary of Guadalupe’ and became a missionary recognised under the names of ‘the humble and obedient Indigenous’, ‘Our Lady’s Visionary’, and ‘The humble Ambassador of the Virgin’.[11] It is through the sharing of Juan Diego’s encounter and gained knowledge is where the spread and introduction of Christianity began in Mexico.

Portrait image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta is a Catholic place of worship that is dedicated to the patron saint of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe. A patron saint refers to a saint who is the designated protector over a society, church or place and who is venerated as an intercessor before God.[15] Our Lady of Guadalupe was acclaimed “Empress of the Americas” in 1945 by Pope Pious XXII and is a symbol of Mexican culture and liberation.[3] According to Mexican religious tradition she is the mother of God and humanity. It is through her interaction with Juan Diego that the beginning of Catholicism began in Mexico, providing a new era of religious belief progressing from the Aztec polytheistic culture and belief in the Aztec mother goddess Tonantzin.[5] It was in the sixteenth century that the increase of the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe began to form, and creations of poems, sermons and the first artistic replicas of the original art of her image arose expressing the new cultural nature for Mexico.[16] Her feast day lies on the 12th of December and is a commemoration of the date in 1531 that she first appeared to Juan Diego.[17] Our Lady of Guadalupe offered a different style of devotion, “She didn’t say, go to church or say the rosary” instead she proclaimed that if followers “love me, trust me and believe in me” she will respond.[3]

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta with celebratory decorations for a festival.

The most prominent celebration is that of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a fiesta that is held on the 12th of December to commemorate her first apparition with Juan Diego and has been celebrated on this date every year for the past 400 years.[4] This celebration begins with the lighting of candles nation-wide in honour of The Virgin Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. Her image depicts a dark-skinned woman with a moon and angel located by her feet, as well as a circulation of light rays around her.[3] Many churches, including The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta, celebrate this event with the lighting of fireworks after the evening rosary commonly 10 days leading up to December 12th.[4] Depending on the specific district there have been towns that organise parades and or processions that follow altars of Lady Guadalupe and include children who dress as either the Indigenous Juan Diego or the Virgin Mary herself. In Puerto Vallarta the celebration trails down the cobblestone street from Juarez street to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, it is where businesses, food stands, families and religious unions form a line that moulds the celebratory laneway. There are commonly mariachi bands and traditional dancers included within the festivities.[22] In light of this event, Mexican homeowners will usually create a shrine in honour of the patron saint, covering and surrounding the memorial with flowers, candles, individual torches and other trinkets alike.[4] Catholic Christian citizens usually awake before sunrise on the 12th of December to sing of the virgin in local churches and cathedrals and follow with a communal feast of traditional Mexican meals such as atole and prozole which is a corn-based drink and a pork and hominy stew, both customary meals consumed on her feast day.[4] This day is essentially considered a significant annual day for Mexican citizens both religious and non-religious to celebrate their culture and faith.

Our Lady of Guadalupe has also been perceived as a symbol of Mexican female liberation and power and has simultaneously been heavily associated with feminist theology. Feminist theology surrounds the belief of equality between men and women, the creation of peace and implementations of justice in religion.[23] She has often been considered as a symbol of maternity, female empowerment and social justice and which has been celebrated by women not only in Mexico but in the regions of Latin America and the United States.[3]

The Spanish Conquest of Mexico was not only a revolt and a conquest of people, but it was simultaneously a conquest of women, captured by force and used for gift exchange and or trade.[24] It is through this origin, that Mexican-American women in current times as a result pursue in the attainment for agency through the construction of their own lives as Our Lady of Guadalupe remains a symbol of dignity and an affirmation of those lives who are questioned.[25] Moreover, the Spanish Conquest of Mexico was not only a time for military defence but also the overrule of old traditions, rituals and gods.[16] To the Indians, Our Lady of Guadalupe is more than a symbol of life and hope, she provides them with hopes of salvation.[16] Depicted as a virgin she encapsulates feministic and maternal attributes and remains a powerful symbol of motherhood, feminism and social justice.[3] In the modern day, Lady Guadalupe who has originally been associated as a symbol of Catholicism and Religion, has surpassed religious ties and in place has interconnected with the culture and civilisation of Mexico.[3] Extending beyond the patron confines of Mexico, in the Unites States of America she has been at times utilised as a social justice icon and presents an influential appeal to those who lack power in society.[3] She stands for life, health and hope and is considered as not only a supernatural mother but also a natural mother that symbolises both political and religious aspirations.[16] Ultimately, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a collective representation of Mexican society and reflects the emotions and relationships of Mexican life.[16]

• Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Roman Catholic Marian Churches