HIDDEN MEANING
There is much symbolism in the image and portrayal of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Multiple sources, many of Catholic origin, have addressed the subject over the years.
The following summary, taken from "The Catholic Spirit", the official online publication of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, unveils the hidden meanings in an organized and easy-to-read format.
The following summary, taken from "The Catholic Spirit", the official online publication of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, unveils the hidden meanings in an organized and easy-to-read format.
SOURCE : www.maryourmother.net
CLOUDS - In the image, the Virgin is surrounded by clouds, showing that she is from heaven. The indigenous greeted people they believed came from God with the expression: "Among fog and among clouds".
SUN - There are three suns represented in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The first sun, not visible in the image, is cosmic, casting light on the Virgin's left side and creating a shadow. Golden rays from the second sun, behind her, signify that she is the "Mother of Light" and greater than the Aztec sun god, whom she eclipses. The third sun is represented by the four-petaled flower on her tunic, indicating that she is about to give birth to the "Almighty Sun".
CROSS MEDALLION - Around her neck, Mary wears a gold medallion engraved with a cross. For indigenous people, the medallion symbolized consecration, so the medallion around Mary's neck meant that she was consecrated to Jesus.
HANDS - The indigenous people expressed prayer not only by the hands, but by the whole body. In the image on the tilma [cloak], Our Lady of Guadalupe is shown in a position of 'dancing prayer', with her knee bent in movement.
MANTLE and TUNIC - Mary's rose-tinted, flowery tunic symbolizes the earth, while her turquoise, starry mantle represents the heavens. The mantle also indicates that she is royalty since only the native emperors wore cloaks of that color.
[Sidenote: the stars on her cloak are placed in the exact position of the star constellations on December 12, 1531, when Juan Diego encountered her]
BLACK RIBBON - The black ribbon around Mary's waist shows that she is expecting a child. For the Aztecs, the trapezoid-shaped ends of the ribbon also represented the end of one cycle and the birth of a new era.
FLOWERS - Nine golden flowers, symbolizing life and truth, adorn Mary's dress. The flowers are made up of glyphs representing a hill and a river. The indigenous people considered hills the highest points of encounter between God and people. Viewed upside down, the flowers take the shape of hearts with arteries coming out, representing life, which originates from God.
FOUR-PETALED JASMINE - The only four-petaled flower on Mary's tunic appears over her womb. The four-petaled jasmine represents the Aztec's highest deity, Ometeotl. While Ometeotl remained distant, the image of Our Lady shows that the one true God chose to be born of a woman, making himself accessible to all.
MOON - The Virgin stands on a crescent moon. The Aztec word for Mexico, "Metz-xic-co", means "in the center of the moon". The moon also symbolized the Aztec moon god, fertility, birth and life.
ANGEL - An angel with eagle's wings appears below Mary's feet. According to Aztec belief, an eagle delivered the hearts and the blood of sacrificial victims to the gods. The angel holds up the pregnant Virgin, signifying that the child in her womb is the offering that pleases God.
SUN - There are three suns represented in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The first sun, not visible in the image, is cosmic, casting light on the Virgin's left side and creating a shadow. Golden rays from the second sun, behind her, signify that she is the "Mother of Light" and greater than the Aztec sun god, whom she eclipses. The third sun is represented by the four-petaled flower on her tunic, indicating that she is about to give birth to the "Almighty Sun".
CROSS MEDALLION - Around her neck, Mary wears a gold medallion engraved with a cross. For indigenous people, the medallion symbolized consecration, so the medallion around Mary's neck meant that she was consecrated to Jesus.
HANDS - The indigenous people expressed prayer not only by the hands, but by the whole body. In the image on the tilma [cloak], Our Lady of Guadalupe is shown in a position of 'dancing prayer', with her knee bent in movement.
MANTLE and TUNIC - Mary's rose-tinted, flowery tunic symbolizes the earth, while her turquoise, starry mantle represents the heavens. The mantle also indicates that she is royalty since only the native emperors wore cloaks of that color.
[Sidenote: the stars on her cloak are placed in the exact position of the star constellations on December 12, 1531, when Juan Diego encountered her]
BLACK RIBBON - The black ribbon around Mary's waist shows that she is expecting a child. For the Aztecs, the trapezoid-shaped ends of the ribbon also represented the end of one cycle and the birth of a new era.
FLOWERS - Nine golden flowers, symbolizing life and truth, adorn Mary's dress. The flowers are made up of glyphs representing a hill and a river. The indigenous people considered hills the highest points of encounter between God and people. Viewed upside down, the flowers take the shape of hearts with arteries coming out, representing life, which originates from God.
FOUR-PETALED JASMINE - The only four-petaled flower on Mary's tunic appears over her womb. The four-petaled jasmine represents the Aztec's highest deity, Ometeotl. While Ometeotl remained distant, the image of Our Lady shows that the one true God chose to be born of a woman, making himself accessible to all.
MOON - The Virgin stands on a crescent moon. The Aztec word for Mexico, "Metz-xic-co", means "in the center of the moon". The moon also symbolized the Aztec moon god, fertility, birth and life.
ANGEL - An angel with eagle's wings appears below Mary's feet. According to Aztec belief, an eagle delivered the hearts and the blood of sacrificial victims to the gods. The angel holds up the pregnant Virgin, signifying that the child in her womb is the offering that pleases God.
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