Mexican Dichotomy: Celebrating the Virgin in a Macho Culture
By the early morning hours of December 12, every small village and urban area of the country will awaken to the burst of fire crackers with their brilliant light to begin celebrating the holiday season with a fiesta dedicated to the Mother of all Mexicans- Our Lady of Guadalupe. I find it interesting that such an intrinsically macho culture- where men have perceived superiority and dominance- accords such importance to female deities. Not only is Our Lady of Guadalupe the country’s patron saint since the 1810 Mexican Revolution, she symbolizes what the modern Latino woman should strive to be.
Slide show produced by Bill Bell, photography by Bill and Dot Bell
The festivities, which mark the 480th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe, usually begin with Mass at the town church. On Monday, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, there will be a festival featuring mariachi music, folkloric dance and traditional Mexican dishes afterwards. Today many devotees make the pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe, some crawling on their knees for miles, to pray to the Virgin of Guadalupe, to make promises, or to seek spiritual guidance. Believers feel that the Virgin can cure almost any sickness; in the last 20 years, many problem drinkers go there to promise her that they will never drink again. The majority of these pilgrims claim to find the strength to fulfill their promises and find the answers that they seek.