The Virgin of Guadalupe and Tonantzin

Hi! I am a 6th grader and I would like to ask why you haven’t updated this article.

What is your opinion of the film, ‘La Otra conquista’ y su representación de Tonantzin?

Consider it an act of compassion by Tonatzin/Mary/ChangingWoman/QuanYin -- the female divine principle who comforts the oppressed. To worship Tonatzin as Tonatzin would have resulted in torture and execution by the Spanish. So Tonatzin/Mary appeared in a blended manifestation in relation to which the brutally repressed Aztec/Nahuatl people could find some solace. They still do.

Thank you for this article. I have been looking into the “many faces” of Mary. I was hoping to find a book which covers a thorough study of Mary as melded with indigenous historical accounts of the god-dess. This article was a great start. If you know of such a book, please do let me know. There are so many books on Mary that it is difficult to sift through them all! Best to you.

This article does touch on a very important fact that is overlooked. The Virgin de Guadalupe is worshiped today throughout what was Mesoamerica. The reason being is that the story of the immaculate conception was already rooted in culture long before the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards and introduction of false religion. The blessed mother of Huitzilopotchli was said to of been impregnated by immaculate conception giving birth to one of the two most honored deities the God of War who is a representation of the Sun. The Mother was worshiped in many aspects and governing not just belief but also government. The structure was dominated by masculine attributes but respectful of females. It should be pointed out that one of the highest offices that could be held by a male official was that of Coatlicue. So it easy to see that blessed mother was already established and the truth of why the people hold the Virgin in such high regards

I think I speak for those that acknowledge the still modern day Spanish Inquisition of the Aztec Native Americans and other countries around the world that acknowledge the fact of the harmful forced conversions brought by the spanish, and yes I mean the roman catholic church. Killing and stealing from natives is never condoned by anyone and trust me I know I speak for the creator of the universe himself. There is an Aztec eagle on the Mexican flag for a reason, it replaced something else. And I know many are interwoven psychologically by the forceful conversions but there will be a day when the basica will go down for the sake of all forced conversions around the world. Do not ever forget your roots!

Tonantzin/Guadalupe is of great interest far beyond the borders of Mexico. True, the Virgin resolves pre and post Colombian cultural stresses but the Virgin Mary is, among many things, an image that encodes an entire Mediterranean religious history up to and including her part in Catholic canon. Historically, this makes the Virgin of Guadalupe a world symbol. The Virgin Mary replaced many goddesses in Europe and the Near East just as she eventually replaced several Aztec goddesses. As a European non Catholic, I am drawn to her for these reasons.

As the Shroud of Turin she is indisputable though tested through the worlds finest minds and scientists.Amazing information, as we praise God for her birth and presence bringing our Savior forth.

I am not a scholar in this area at all, but are we sure this is Spanish “spiritual conquest” and not a way for the indigenous people to resist even while pleasing authorities? Just curious.

The problem with this explanation is that there was never a deity called Tonantzin. Tonantzin (our revered mother) is a title for any of the female goddesses and there were very many of them. It is true that a female goddess was venerated at Tepeyac but it is not known which one of the Nantzin (mother) it was. Additionally the goddesses were only called by their name and not with Tonantzin attached to their name. It was understood they were all mothers, with the exemptions of a few like Xochiquetzal who was always a youthful entity.
If any one doubts this information, try to find a goddess named Tonantzin in any of the ancient native books, sculptures, murals, pottery, etc. She simply does not exist.

Thanks for your reply, Mexicolore, and sorry for my harsh tone. Your message was as clear as water. Thanks for clarifying that, and please do continue your great work.

Very reasoned comment that of Tezcatlpopocatzin, thanks. I do not speak nahuatl, but I remember that Tonatiuh was the Sun-god, and his mother Tonantzin was the Sun-bearer, pregnant with the Sun, as Dawn is. I think Tonantzin was offered flowers & fruits instead of the blood of sacrificial victims, and she was neither part of the official Aztec pantheon, nor did she have a temple in Tenochtitlan. The effort to blur all distinctions and mix Tonantzin with the bloody Coatlícue and the with the Virgin Mary, started with the PRI’s “priests”: the politicians & academics.

This question is ridiculous. No, the Virgin of Guadalupe is NOT, and could never have been Tonantzin. The reasons for these are several. Firstly, in order to make herself understood by Juan Diego, the Virgin couldn’t have spoken in spanish, and you know there aren’t any D’s or G’s in the nahuatl alphabet. And secondly: is that the original nahuatl name of the Virgin was, among other variants, Tequantlaxopeuh or Coatlaxopeuh, which means “She who crushes the serpent”. Now, how can we dare to say that a catholic goddess who crushes a serpent is EQUAL to a Serpent Earth-Goddess, Our Mother Tonantzin? It seems to me that you’re forgetting the little (but very important) detail that the Guadalupan phenomenon was what led the Aztecs into an easier acceptation of the catholic religion: and why is that? Obviously, because the Virgen RESEMBLES Tonantzin, and that’s what attracted the Aztec people – but in the end, they are opposite to each other! Please do pay attention to all details.

of coursse she is. The black crescent moon under her feet is Lake Texcoco as a lake in the black bowels of a volcano.

sincretismo es el producto de dos culturas, en este caso el religion de los espanoles y de los Aztecas.

Thanks so much for this article! I learn something new every year about the goddess!

Mil gracias por su articulo ,muy interesante.Aclara mis dudas. Felicidades por Mexicolore. I love it.

I recommend “Nican Mophua” for further reading since it’s the first document that was made after the conquest about the Virgin de Guadalupe. The original document was written in Classical Nahuatl.