#tonantzin

12 de Diciembre - Day of celebration of our Virgencita de Guadalupe, our indigenous mother Tonantzin, who of all the places on this Earth appeared to an indigenous man Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico.

December 12th is La Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebrating an apparition of The Goddess in the guise of Maria Mother of Jesus to an Indigenous man in Mexico named Toatzin- and dubbed Juan Diego by Catholics. The Holy Mother’s words spoken in native Nahuatl to a humble Aztec man on the slopes of Tepeyac, the very site of the destroyed Aztec temple of Earth Goddess Tonantzin, bolstered the spirit of a brutalized population that yet persists through continued colonization today, allowing original peoples of Mexico to continue ancient traditions and pass knowledge through generations under the mantle of Her protection as a disguise.

The miraculous vision of Guadalupe that appeared upon Juan Diego/Talking Eagle’s tilma is often seen as a self portrait by Her and there are many analyses of the visual element’s encoding of Aztec symbolism. I took these theories and insights into consideration while creating this goddess vision as commissioned by a dear Mexican American sister.

I chose a blue background to parallel Her starry mantle of heaven and also represent Lake Texcoco since the eagle, snake, and cactus from its story of the founding of ancient Mexico there are present. 💙🌵 

Tonantzin in various forms is frequently depicted with eagle feet so I thought it appropriate to have the legendary golden eagle clutch the silvery moon below Her in place of Guadalupe’s cherub 🦅 🌙 Tonantzin is often known, by many names, to wear a skirt of snakes- the celestial Aztec earth mother Coatlicue’s particular name translates to “She of Snake Skirts”. So I couldn’t help but see the snake emerge from the opening in Her folds here. Frequently in Aztec art snakes emerging from or replacing body parts represents blood so I feel a menstrual element from how the snake manifested in this vision 🐍 🩸

Tonantzin Guadalupe is one of my Vulva Goddess sisters in altar sized prints :

https://misspjsuperior.etsy.com/listing/1685298056

It's funny that the image that Catholics worship as "La Virgin of Guadalupe" resembles a lot to "#Tonantzin or #Coatlicue" who was a #Mexican goddess to whom for matters of fate (sarcasm) our indigenous ancestors worshiped before the Spanish arrival.

To continue with the "things of destiny" casually the temple of "Tonantzin" was located where the basilica is now, I would like to emphasize that I do not understand at all why a deity would be so egocentric to demand that a temple be built at all costs, nor the great master Jesus asked for such a thing.

In case those "things of fate" were few, let's add that 'Tonantzin' means "our little mother" which I see is the same way Catholics call their virgin.

Besides the fact that there are no writings or narratives of that time, how did something as big as a "miracle" not know about it? Not even the same Bishop Zumarraga who, according to history, was the one who personally received the message of Juan Diego.

So when was it that the history of the appearances became known? Well it was until 117 years after his basilica was built that for the first time the story of Juan Diego and the virgin was heard, in a book written and subjected said mantle to technological tests which resulted in a result that it is totally a painting made by the Man's hand and also touched 3 times throughout history. In the end, everyone is free in their beliefs, but we have to be informed instead of blindly believing what those who control us say.

#ElCorazónDeHuitzilin

Tonantzin: The Indigenous Mother Behind Guadalupe, and the Story of Her Alleged Syncretism Tonantzin occupies a unique place in the spiritual history of Mexico. She is not a single goddess but a Nahua honorific meaning “Our Revered Mother,” applied to several maternal and earth‑centered deities. Her presence was woven into the daily life of pre‑Hispanic communities: she was the giver of maize, the stabilizing earth beneath one’s feet, the cyclical mother who nourished and received life. Her temperament was defined by quiet endurance rather than force. She did not command storms or wage divine battles; she sustained, listened, and remained. This gentle strength made her central to Indigenous cosmology, especially at Tepeyac, a hill that served as a pilgrimage site long before the arrival of Christianity.

Tonantzin’s maternal character was not passive. It was a form of soft power rooted in the land itself. She embodied the idea that true authority comes from nurturing rather than domination. Her devotees approached her not with fear but with intimacy, asking for protection, fertility, and guidance. This emotional relationship created a template for how a divine mother should behave: patient, protective, and quietly resilient. When the colonial period began, this temperament became the key to her survival.

The alleged syncretism between Tonantzin and the Virgin of Guadalupe emerges from this continuity of temperament and place. When the apparition of the Virgin was reported in 1531, it occurred at Tepeyac—the very hill associated with Tonantzin’s worship. Indigenous pilgrims continued to visit the site, calling the new figure by the old name. Spanish chroniclers, including Bernardino de Sahagún, noted with concern that Indigenous people seemed to treat Guadalupe as Tonantzin in Christian clothing. This overlap of devotion did not arise from theological design but from emotional logic: the people recognized in Guadalupe the same gentle authority they had long attributed to their earth mother.

The syncretism debate centers on whether Guadalupe was intentionally crafted to replace Tonantzin or whether Indigenous interpretation reshaped Mary into a familiar form. Most scholars argue that the fusion was organic. The Virgin’s maternal softness, her protective stance toward the humble, and her quiet mode of appearing aligned perfectly with Tonantzin’s temperament. Indigenous communities did not abandon their mother; they translated her. Guadalupe became a vessel through which Tonantzin’s emotional and symbolic presence could continue under colonial rule.

12/12 is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe