#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

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

The legend states that the Virgin appeared to an Indian, Juan Diego, with a message for [Bishop] Zumarraga. The bishop did not believe what the Indian told him, until a series of miracles forced him to believe. As a result, and under direct instructions from the Virgin, a chapel was built at the place of the apparitions. Historians have searched in vain for any indication in the records of Zumarraga and his contemporaries that any part of this story is true. Furthermore, an early Christian chronicler declares that the place where the Virgin supposedly appeared was the very hill where the Indians worshipped the goddess called Tonantzin, the “mother of the gods,” and that the Indians simply continued worshipping the old goddess under a new name.

But no matter what may be the events behind it, the legend itself is a vindication of the oppressed Indian over against the Spanish bishop. In the end, the bishop had to do what the Indian told him. Ever since, the Virgin of Guadalupe has been more than an object of devotion. She became the symbol and rallying point of Mexican national sentiment against any form of foreign intervention.

Excerpt from, The Story of Christianity Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. Gonzalez