Dec. 12 marks the annual collective expression where Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Chicano Catholics celebrate la Virgen de Guadalupe throughout the Americas.
This affirming narrative speaks to the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the hill of Tepeyac, near what is now Mexico City, to a dark-skinned indigenous man by the name of Juan Diego. The Virgin of Guadalupe arrived 10 years after the conquest of Mexico and is said to have brought some sense of order and hope after indigenous cultures were conquered, killed and turned upside down at the violent hands of the European Spaniards in 1521.
As word of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe began to spread throughout the indigenous world, we discovered a more empowering and affirming hope as the Earth goddess Tonatzín and the Virgin of Guadalupe came to be understood as one and the same: Both are dark-skinned, speak Nahuatl and were worshipped on the hill of Tepeyac.
The symbolic power and meaning of Tonatzín/Virgin of Guadalupe transcended the violence and trauma inflicted on their indigenous communities. It provides millions of Mexicans and Chicanos a spirit of survival guided by a reinscription of hope and self-determination. This empowering narrative of hope is practiced annually on Dec. 12 as millions of Mexicans from throughout the Americas offer up their bodies by returning to their source of origins — La Villa de Guadalupe in Mexico City — where they arrive as countless pilgrims seeking renewal and empowerment for themselves and their communities.
Our nation just experienced a presidential election where the winning candidate ran on a platform of hate and fear. It was fueled by an organized and systematic strategy of dehumanization. Dehumanization is best described by psychologist Sam Keen as a strategy where one blames, demonizes and dehumanizes the “other” to rationalize one’s actions. Our new president-elect erected a dehumanization campaign at the foundation of his presidential platform that centered on his claims of a crisis. Some of his supporters became dependent on the leader they thought was the only one who could resolve that crisis, so they had no alternative but to support him.
Throughout the history of the world, enemies have always been created to justify violence and destruction against humanity at the hands of the colonizer. Yet, in the history of the Americas, a female goddess by the name of Guadalupe-Tonatzín appeared as a sign of hope. The spirit of this mother goddess stood for hope. Hope where there is fear and orientation where there is disorientation and confusion.
As our nation finds itself at this crossroads of uncertainty, I invite us all to fully embrace Our Lady of Guadalupe — the Goddess and the Patroness of the Americas! Her story calls us to organize against hate, fear and division. Her story reminds us that this will not be easy and will require hard work and courage that only the Virgin of Guadalupe can inspire. We must never forget this! I bid blessings and hope to all. ¡Y qué viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
López Pulido, Ph.D., is the founding chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego and vice chair of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. He lives in San Diego.