Guadalupanism

Guadalupanism (Spanish: Guadalupanismo) is a term that refers to the special devotion and veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This invocation of the Virgin Mary is especially popular in Mejico, where she is recognized as the patron saint of the country and is deeply intertwined with Mejican identity and culture, a crucial aspect of Mejicanity.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is believed to have appeared to Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indigenous Chichimec peasant, in December 1531 on the hill of Tepeyac, near present-day Mejico City. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary left an image of herself imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma, a cloak made of cactus fiber. The story of Our Lady and Juan Diego is retold in the Huei tlamahuiçoltica ("The Great Event"), a Nahuatl-language tract that documents the miraculous appearances and the subsequent devotion. The document, published in 1649, has played a significant role in shaping the narrative around Our Lady of Guadalupe and solidifying her importance in both religious and cultural aspects of Mejican life.

The image of Our Lady has been widely used for political purposes, both by the Catholic Church and by military and social leaders. During colonial times, the image was a symbol of the union between the Spanish and Indigenous converts, while before independence, it was used by Criollo autonomists. Later, King Agustín I deposed the young King Gabriel II, and the Virgin of Guadalupe was proclaimed as the patron saint of the newly-renamed Kingdom of Mejico. Later in the 19th century, Ernesto Valverde of the Catholic Social Movement considered her as the mother and protector of the homeland and made vast pilgrimages under her invocation. During the Mejican Civil War, Emiliano Zapata used the image as a symbol of his struggle, and it was taken up later by the Neo-Zapatists. During the Cristero War, the rebels were frequently Guadalupanos, and female guerrillas formed the Santa Sororidad de la Virgen de Guadalupe, and shouts of jubilation referring to the Marian invocation were frequently heard in battles as war cries. In addition to this, the leaders José Vasconcelos and Salvador Abascal would defend Guadalupanism as a fundamental part of Mejicanity and would promote its veneration in the country.

Guadalupanism is seen as part of the essence of Mejicanity, what it means to be Mejican, and is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of the nation. Devotion to the image transcends socioeconomic, political, and ethnic boundaries, as it has become a unifying force, equally venerated by the upper, middle, and lower classes, by Castizos, Criollos, Mestizos, Indigenous peoples, Afro-Mejicans, and more. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mejico City is the main shrine dedicated to the Marian invocation, and is one of the main pilgrimage sites in the world, drawing millions of faithful annually, especially on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.