For the survivors of the 1997 Acteal, Chiapas, mass killings, you became the Virgin of the Massacre, your broken image pieced back together as their shrine. But for many, what is sacred cannot have a body. Lopez was denounced as being lesbian, and Salinas of being of unholy body. Lawsuits from all sides are threatened. The artwork should stay in the museum.
Sacred images can separate or unite.
But freedom of expression has prevailed in San Antonio, Texas. In a historic decision May 15, a federal judge ruled that the city violated the constitutional right to free speech and equal protection when it defunded arts at Esperanza Peace and Justice Center because of its inclusive politics. Sometimes de-colonization creates a divide between younger Chicanas and many elders. Sometimes people confuse images with faith. Buddhist elders say that images have only the power we give to them.