The Origins of the Guadalupe Tradition in Mexico

Historical writings on Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most revered sacred figure indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, focus largely on her cult's origins. Scholars disagree on whether reports of Guadalupe's 1531 appearances to the indigenous neophyte Juan Diego initiated devotion to her or whether the apparition tradition is a later invention that provided a mythical origin for an already existing image and devotion. This essay critiques the standard argument against a foundational apparition tradition as exemplified in the work of Stafford Poole. The reevaluation sheds light on the scope of early indigenous devotion and the genesis of belief in the apparitions.Keywords: apparition narrative; de Zumarraga, Juan, Bishop; Juan Diego; Our Lady of GuadalupeDevotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has evolved for nearly five centuries into a deeply rooted, multifaceted tradition. The Guadalupe basilica in Mexico City is the most visited pilgrimage site on the American continent. After Jesus of Nazareth, her image is the most reproduced sacred icon in the Western Hemisphere. Today Guadalupe appears among an increasingly diverse array of peoples, places, and religious groups. The growing Protestant engagement of Guadalupe encompasses a number of congregations that celebrate her December 12 feast, as well as theological investigations that span various denominational perspectives.* 1 Catholic basilicas and shrines dedicated to Guadalupe are as far south as Santa Fe in Argentina and as far north as Johnstown on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.Historically the rising prominence of Guadalupe prompted debates about the origins of such a significant religious phenomenon. These dis- putes have recurred for more than two centuries. No one doubts that a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hill of Tepeyac in present-day Mexico City has been active since at least the mid-sixteenth century. But disagreement exists on whether the chapel or belief in Guadalupe's reported apparitions to the indigenous neophyte Juan Diego came first. In other words, did reports of Juan Diego's encounters with Guadalupe and her miraculous appearance on his tilma (cloak) initiate the chapel and its devotion, or is the apparition narrative a later invention that provided a mythical origin for an already existing image and pious tradition?Those who hold the latter position note the lapse of more than a century between the standard 1531 date given for the apparitions and the first published accounts on the apparitions. They also point out the lack of documentation about the apparitions and about claims of the miraculous origins of the Guadalupe image among prominent Catholic leaders in sixteenth-century New Spain, including the complete absence of Guadalupe references in the known writings of Juan de Zumarraga, the bishop to whom Juan Diego reportedly transmitted Guadalupe's messages. Conversely, those who uphold the foundational status of the apparition tradition argue that the Spaniards' disdain for the allegedly inferior native people accounts for the lengthy delay before an official inquiry recorded indigenous testimony about Guadalupe and Juan Diego. They further contend there is early written documentation for the apparitions such as a recently discovered codex that Jesuit priest Xavier Escalada argues is Juan Diego's 1548 death certificate depicting his encounter with Guadalupe. The most important document is the Nahuatl-language Nie an mopohua (a title derived from the document's first words, "here is recounted") apparition account. First published in 1649, the document poses questions for scholars regarding the date when it was composed and thus has implications for the origins of the Guadalupe tradition. The heart of the debate, therefore, is disagreement about the validity of recorded oral testimony, the viability of historical arguments from silence; and especially the authenticity, authorship, determination of proper dates, and significance of critical primary sources, particularly the Nican mopohua itself. …