It is not rare to find in the Roman Catholic tradition garments or fabric items that are venerated as sacred relics. The Holy Shroud preserved in Turin is for example a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man who is alleged to be Jesus of Nazareth; moving to the centre of Italy, in Prato, you will discover the Sacred Girdle, while in Manoppello, you will find a cloth claimed to be the Veil of Veronica and bearing the face of a man supposed to be Jesus.
Today Mexico celebrates instead la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Our Lady of Guadalupe, a figure linked to a specific garment, a cloak that belonged to Juan Diego.
According to the legend in December 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, while he was on his way to attend mass. She spoke to him in his native Nahuatl language and asked for a shrine to be built at that site. When Juan Diego recounted what had happened to him to the archbishop of Mexico City, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, he did not believe him.
The apparitions continued, though, and the Virgin made the same request. Juan Diego returned to the archbishop who this time suggested him to ask the lady for a miraculous sign. When the third apparition occurred, Diego reported back to her the bishop's request and she consented to provide a sign on the following day, December 11.
On the established day, though, Diego had to stay with an uncle who had fallen sick. The Virgin eventually appeared to him on December 12, while he was on his way to get a Catholic priest to hear his uncle's confession on his death-bed. She assured Juan Diego that his uncle had now recovered and told him to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, which was normally barren, especially in December. Juan followed her instructions and he found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico. Diego put the roses in his tilma (cloak) and went to the Bishop.
Yet, when Juan opened up his tilma before him, there was painted upon it a miraculous image of Our Lady as she had appeared on Mount Tepeyac, clothed in a pink tunic robe covered by a cerulean mantle emblazoned with eight-point stars. She stood in contemplative prayer with hands joined, atop a darkened crescent moon carried by a cherubic angel.
The Bishop prostrated himself in veneration and, soon after, the building of the Shrine on the top of Mount Tepeyac began. The Basilica in Mexico City - entitled to Our Lady of Guadalupe - is the most important shrine to the Virgin Mary in all the American continents.
The cloak of Juan Diego, (canonized in July 2002 under the name Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin by Pope John Paul II) is on display behind the main altar in the new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and it is venerated by millions of people from all over Mexico and the world.
Though historians revived doubts as to the quality of the evidence regarding Juan Diego and the supernatural origin of the image, the tilma became Mexico's most popular religious and cultural symbol (it was also adopted in 1912 by Emiliano Zapata's peasant army; when their troops entered Mexico City they carried Guadalupan banners).
As the years passed the image was examined by experts who discovered the original artwork was neither cracked nor flaked but had kept an excellent state of preservation, while later additions (gold leaf and silver plated elements) showed serious signs of wear, if not complete deterioration.
The image is currently set in a frame protected behind bullet-proof glass and hangs on the wall of the basilica behind the altar.
An intricate metal crown designed by painter Salomé Pina according to plans devised by Rómulo Escudero and Pérez Gallardo, and executed by Parisian goldsmith Edgar Morgan, is fixed above the image.
The Blessed Virgin Mary became an inextricable part of Mexican life and a central figure to the history of Central America. The most important religious celebration in Mexico and Central America remains indeed today, 12th December, the feast-day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Throughout the decades she was given the title "Mother of the Americas" and proclaimed "Queen of Mexico", "Patroness of the Americas", "Empress of Latin America" and "Protectress of Unborn Children".
The image of the Virgin Mary emblazoned on the tilma is so popular that it often resurfaces in fashion on all sorts of garments and accessories, from T-shirts to dresses for toddlers. Etsy is one of the best sources for such pieces and you can even find on it esclusive items from Mexico-based sellers.
It is not difficult to find different images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on clothes such as tops and sweatshirts in high street retailers.
Urban Outfitters did a T-shirt dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe a while back; Aliexpress seems to have plenty of bootlegged garments and accessories with her image on - including urban hoodies and cropped tops with digitally printed images of Our Lady surrounded by roses.
A couple of years ago designer Patty Delgado launched her label and shop "Hija de tu madre" and started producing items with Mexican symbols that became a hit with many millennials, especially with young people of Latin origins.
Her denim jackets with sequinned patches of the Virgen de Guadalupe (also known as the "Virgencita" jackets, now available on Delgado's site in different versions) are according to her a way to take pride in one's origins and show not to be afraid of where you come from, especially in the climate of hatred created by US President Donald Trump.
Delgado, who also painted a graffiti of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the wall of her shop, feels she's honouring her heritage using the religious icon, as Mexican immigrants identify their home with that image.
Yet while Delgado is rediscovering this icon in a symbolical and cultural way, others have been appropriating it. In May accessory label Bienen-Davis (originally founded in the 1930s), designed two bags inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Replicating the image with Swarovski crystals the brand came up with different designs that celebrated not just the Virgin of Guadalupe, but also the 2018 Met Gala that opened the "Heavenly Bodies" exhibition (some of the guests donned the bags at the gala).
For the reinterpretation of Bienen-Davis original bracelet bag from the '30s, the brand employed over 14,000 multi-coloured Swarovski crystals and a molded Art Deco-inspired inlaid handle hand-dipped in 24K gold brass. As you may imagine the exclusive bags also had rather exclusive prices - around $3,000 and $5,000 - that proved that, for some brands and fashion houses, appropriating religious icons (D&G docet...) is not a way to pay homage to culture and traditions but it is still considered as a safe and lucrative option.
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