Iconic Icons Supplement: Our Lady of Guadalupe
"Am I not here, I, who am your mother?" I must apologize for taking so long to write about Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe): though her image is not an icon in the typical sense (that is, made by human hands for the purpose of connection to Christ or the saints in Heaven), it most definitely should be classified as an acheiropoieton (an sacred image not made with human hands). I apologize for not including it in my original post on these images: it didn't enter my mind until much later. This post, then, is a supplement for my post on the acheiropoieta . St. Juan Diego (1474-1578) was a Native American from what is now Mexico (his birth name was Aztec: Cuauhtlatoatzin). Originally a mystical and devout pagan, around 1520 or so he converted to Christianity, taking the name Juan Diego. Shortly thereafter, in 1529, he became a widower, yet his faith remained strong. It was in 1531 that the events for which he is now known began...