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A Spanish Virgin and an Aztec Mother: The Virgen de Guadalupe and the Formation of a Mexican National Icon
Zepeda-Sheppeck, Sofia Aleli
Zepeda-Sheppeck, Sofia Aleli
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Abstract
This thesis will investigate how the Spanish Catholic Church reshaped the image of the Aztec Goddess Tonantzin into a Catholic icon, the Virgin of Guadalupe. I will analyze how Nicolás Enríquez’s (1704–1790) painting of the Virgen de Guadalupe con Los Cuatro Apariciones (The Virgin of Guadalupe with the Four Apparitions) was designed, diffused, and received in the context of syncretism to convert the belief systems of the indigenous populations of New Spain to align with the ideologies of Spanish colonization. How is the use, reception, and dissemination of the image used to enact a transformation from the indigenous Aztec belief-system to that of Castilian Catholic faith in 18th-century New Spain? I will also focus my thesis on what remains of Tonatzin in this Hispanicized Virgin by looking at Church edicts, contemporary critical responses regarding the image, and its reproductive success. I will explain how the use, reception, and dissemination of the Virgin’s image was used to further inculcate new Spanish cultural values. This is an example of a larger intention of the Spanish conquistadors to overwrite the traditions and beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. With the hope, through this syncretism, their devotion will be transferred from Tonantzin to that of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2023.
Date
2023
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Keywords
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Citation
Zepeda-Sheppeck, Sofia Aleli. "A Spanish Virgin and an Aztec Mother: The Virgen de Guadalupe and the Formation of a Mexican National Icon". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2023.