Thursday, 28 October: “History of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531,” Mariano Guadalupe Vellejo, 1468-1477; Frederick Law Olmsted, 1492-95.

Reader: Juliana Davila

Objective 3: To use literature as a basis for discussing representative problems and subjects of American culture (New Historicism), such as equality; race, gender, class; modernization and tradition; the family….

I chose to focus mostly on the "History of the Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531.” Even though it is an older text, many of the aspects of objective 3 can be found within it.

Race and Class

We learn right from the start (pg 166) that the person the Virgin Mary chooses to show herself to is a “humble Indian, called Juan Diego.” Much later in the story, on page 170, the Virgin Mary says of herself, “Am I not of your kind?” According to the footnote, this is Her way of identifying herself as an Indian.

On page 168, there are a couple of passages that relate to class distinction.

“I pray You, my Holy One, my Lady, my Daughter, that any one of the noble lords who are well known, reverenced and respected be the one to undertake this so that Your words will be believed. For it is true that I am only a poor man; I am not worthy of being there where You send me….”

“It is not because I did not want to go, or because the road is stony, but only because perhaps I would not be heard, and if I were heard I would not be believed.”

In both passages, Juan Diego relates his doubt that his words will be received with belief because he is a poor man and an Indian, and therefore of lower class than the Bishop he seeks out.

Question 1: What is the significance of the Virgin Mary choosing to show herself to Juan Diego, a lower-class Indian, rather than a well-placed individual as he suggests?

Tradition and Family

Family and tradition have always been extremely important to Mexican-Americans. Throughout the text, the Virgin Mary refers to Juan Diego as her dear son, and she is the Holy Mother. There is also the family reference between Juan Diego and his uncle on page 169.

“Early in the morning his uncle begged him to go out to bring one of the priests from Tlatilulco so that he might be confessed, for he was very certain that his time had come to die….”

Because family is so important to him, Juan Diego does his “duty” to his family first, by setting out to fetch the priest. This passage also expresses how important religion. Juan Diego’s uncle did not want to die with his sins still upon him, and so he calls for a priest.

Religion is a very big part of Mexican tradition. We first encounter Juan Diego “on his way to divine worship according to his custom,” and he never questions the Virgin Mother when she appears to him, he just believes. He does what he does because of his faith and his religious beliefs, both of which are tied up in his traditions, and the traditions of the Mexican-American.

Question 2: The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a very strong and common cultural image amongst Mexican-Americans. Why do you think this is so?

Conclusion: By doing a close reading of the text, you can begin to pick up on the notions of race, class, tradition and family that are widely evident in many Mexican-American works, and which continue to be important today. To quote a Spring 2003 presentation given by Marie Brookreson, “by looking at traditions, religion, class, and the ignorance of society, through the eyes of Spanish-Indians, we see how important it is to know where America came from, so we can look forward to where she is going.”