Virgencita de Nuestras Raíces

Oil on canvas

24 x 30”

$2000

My interpretation of the Virgin of Guadalupe is based on a combination of it’s original indigenous sources such as the goddesses Coatlicue, Tocih, Cihuacoatl and Coyolxauhqui.

La Virgen de Guadalupe is the only or one of the very few religious figures that are based on our ancestral indigenous heritage. She is part serpent mother, fertility goddess, moon priestess and night keeper.

When the beloved (wink) Spanish conquistadors brought their religion as a form a crusade with the excuse to “save the souls of the savages'', who by the way were already performing brain surgery, had invented the binary system and were doing math with the Zero (thank you very much). The conquistadores or invaders were not really discovering a new world but wanted the gold and access to spices and other goods that were found here  and used religion to justify their trampling.

Catholicism was not very well received but something happened when the virgin Mary was introduced as many were able to relate to her and so symbols from Goddesses like Tonatzin, Coatlicue and Coyolxauhqui were incorporated to motherly figure and became what we now know as the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Tonantzin or “Our Sacred Mother” in the Nahuatl language and is symbolically connected to fertility and the earth.

In Nahuatl-speaking communities (in other communities as well), the Virgin of Guadalupe continues to be called “Tonantzin” and is a national symbol of the Mexican nation and she is a special protector of Native American peoples.

The Coatlicue or “snakes-her-skirt" and “mother of the gods”), is the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars.

The carved statue made of andesite is impressive and was found originally at the Mexica city of Tenochtitlan.

The Spaniards were so creeped out that they buried it after the 1521 Spanish conquest of the city and excavated 270 years later. This lady was represented by a dismembered head, hands along with the rest of her body.

The goddesses Tocih “our grandmother”, and Cihuacoatl “snake woman”, the patron of women who die in childbirth, were also seen as aspects of Coatlicue.

Coyolxauhqui was the Moon goddess and her name means "Golden Bells." She was the daughter of the Earth goddess, Coatlicue.

Another fun fact is that the Virgin of Guadalupe’s image was used on the flag during the insurrection, the movement that gave birth to the independence and was also used during the revolution.

Finally- down to my painting. I just had to fill you in with all this amazing research that I gathered before starting.

I really wanted it to emphasize the symbols of indigenous origin which I will break up here below.

The veil represents the rebozo that is used by indigenous women both for the cold and to carry their infants.

The blue corn kernels are sacred throughout the native americans. These are located behind her veil.

The cempasuchil flowers or flower of the dead I use it to bridge a symbol that is used for the Day of Dead celebration. A tradition that has its origins in pre-colonial times.

The dismembered hands, the skull and the two hearts are motifs taken for the Coatlicue sculpture.

Her skirt is made of stars to refer to Coyolxauhqui as well as the white moon she is kneeling on. In the traditional Virgin of Guadalupe you can locate a dark moon at her feet.

The two headed snake alludes to Cihuacoatl, the snake woman.

Her earrings are made of serpent scales.

All the details:

Original painting.

Oil paint on Canvas

Ready to hang.

Size:

Metric: 50.8 cm x 3.80 cm x 50.8 cm

Imperial: 20” ×1.5’’ x 20”

You can use these measurements to mark out a space on your wall with tape - this will give you an idea of the actual size of the painting and how it will look in your room.

Shipping:

Before you purchase, email adrianamartinezartist@gmail.com to arrange shipping (at own extra cost approx $150-$500 USA wide and $200-$1000 internationally*)

*Please note this is just an estimate and the actual cost may vary.

Alternatively we can arrange shipping after purchase - at own extra cost, or you can pick the painting up from RGV and SPI area, USA.