Virgin of Guadalupe

Virgin of Guadalupe , circa 1830

Where object was made: Mexico

Material/technique: reverse painting on glass

Credit line: Gift of Dean and Ginny Graves

Accession number: 2012.0567

Not on display

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The Object Speaks

At daybreak on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, a Christian Mexican peasant, heard a voice calling him to climb Tepeyac Hill north of the Aztec City of Tenochitlan (present-day Mexico City). According to various accounts published beginning in 1648, Mary appeared to Juan Diego three times, each time requesting that a shrine be built in her honor through which she would minister to the Mexican people. Imagery of the Virgin of Guadalupe reflects the merging of the pre-conquest beliefs and practices of Mexican indigenous people with Catholic devotion to Mary.