When I first read this word, what immediately came to mind was the Virgin of Guadalupe. For those who are not familiar with this story, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous man in 1531 in Mexico (Nueva España at the time). She tells him that he must build a cathedral for her. He goes to the archbishop three times in order to get him to build the cathedral, but he always refuses. Finally Diego brings roses that only grew in Spain and an apparition of the Virgin appears in his cloak, shown below:
In reality, this figure was not an apparition, but instead it was copied by a local indigenous person from an engraving of Revelation. Despite its lack of authenticity, the Virgin is the patron saint of the Mexican people and an important symbol. During the War of Independence, anti-royalist forces would pin her image to their uniforms and banners, whereas royalist forces would attach it to the bottom of their shoe, showing disdain; however, she is still praised today. I personally revile the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe for two reasons: it gives people false hope and it represents marianismo and female subjugation. False hope is fairly reasonable, the article even states that the "miraculous image" was probably copied by a local indigenous person. Yet people pray and cry and tithe to the church rather than seeking true salvation which is the acceptance of the fact that one day you will die. You won't live on forever. Celebrate now, instead of praying to some imaginary "big brother" in the sky. That's my problem with religion: it takes the human out of humanity. Everything that happens is due to someone or something else. "Oh, I cheated on my wife. The devil tempted me. Jesus will forgive me." This is simply absolving yourself from the blame of your misdeed, or "sin". Or "I got that promotion at work, God must have heard my prayers", when instead you got that promotion because you worked hard, God has nothing to do with it! Religion takes the human element out of all of our actions, whether "good" or "bad".
The Virgin of Guadalupe also represents marianismo and female subjugation. She is often portrayed and perceived as the "ideal" woman. Submissive unto the male figures in her life (God, Jesus), she is saddened for her son's suffering, just as the marianista weeps while she prays for the sins of the men in her life. Although it cannot be denied that not everyone views her in this light, she still represents subjugation of women by men and of the indigenous by the Catholic religion.
