When I first figuring out what I wanted to do for my project, my brain ran rampant because everything seemed to peak my interest as fleshed out topics. While I was thinking about my final project and doing the reading for the class, I started to notice a commonality in Calligraphy of the Witch and Bless Me, Ultima having the figure of the Virgin de Guadalupe present as both a Gothic figure as well as a symbol for the Mexican heritage of the main characters. She, for me, encapsulated what the class was on the continuous duality. She represented the Gothic and Chicano very much how she represents the Indigenous as well as Mexican Culture, Chicano and Chicana and Tradition and Modernism. Her symbolic presence is universally constructed to be highly relatable to the individual as well as a societal influence.
When conducting my research, I noticed three notable topics of discussion. First, I found it important to ground my project with the origins of how her symbol came about in religious terms and her influence on the church community. Second, the Chicano(a) Movement of the 1960s gave her a spin on her previous identity as a religious figure by making her a symbol of revolution and liberation in the Chicano Community. Lastly, she seemed to be a symbol for the Chicana Feminist Movement as, once again, a duel representation of classic feminine passivity but redefined as a strong, independent woman of pure action. In my research, I admired the universal nature of the Virgen’s presence being the anchor of people’s search for identity in the world around them.
Here are my three blogs posts on her:
The Importance of the Lady of Guadalupe to the Chicano Community Part 1 of 3
The Importance of the Lady of Guadalupe to the Chicano Community Part 2 of 3
The Importance of the Lady of Guadalupe to the Chicano Community Part 3 of 3
Picture:
http://www.examiner.com/article/dec-12-celebrate-the-virgin-de-guadalupe-queen-of-all-mexicans-here-and-mex
As you noted, it is interesting to see how much of an impact Virgin of Guadalupe has had on Chican@/Mexican culture, society, and history. I grew up in a non-Catholic household so I have learned a lot during my studies at LMU as a Chican@ Studies major. It is fascinating how Guadalupe has led so many sociopolitical movements: the Mexican Independence, the Mexican Revolution, the UFW movement, El Movimiento, and the Chicana Feminist movement. Her duality of being a mestiza whom represents both indigenous elements/background along with Catholicism makes her relatable and she symbolizes so many things. For example,she is seen a source of comfort, strength, a mother-figure. For Chicana feminists and lesbians, at times she has been reinterpreted as an example of sexual empowerment, individuality, and empowerment. Guadalupe really can be altered to whomever one wants her to be, which is representative of Anzaldua’s tolerance for ambiguity. Chican@s/Mexican@s/mestiz@s are able to have more flexible boundaries due to their backgrounds. Guadalupe has been able to serve so many functions, as we have seen in our course reading and throughout Chican@/Mexican@ history.