Tonantzin Guadalupe
December 12th is La Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebrating an apparition of The Goddess in the guise of Maria Mother of Jesus to an Indigenous man in Mexico named Toatzin- and dubbed Juan Diego by Catholics. The Holy Mother’s words spoken in native Nahuatl to a humble Aztec man on the slopes of Tepeyac, the very site of the destroyed Aztec temple of Earth Goddess Tonantzin, bolstered the spirit of a brutalized population that yet persists through continued colonization today, allowing original peoples of Mexico to continue ancient traditions and pass knowledge through generations under the mantle of Her protection as a disguise.
The miraculous vision of Guadalupe that appeared upon Juan Diego/Talking Eagle’s tilma is often seen as a self portrait by Her and there are many analyses of the visual element’s encoding of Aztec symbolism. I took these theories and insights into consideration while creating this goddess vision.
The original Vulva goddess I created in 2013 is Maria Rosa. Her design was inspired in major part between La Virgen de Guadalupe’s miracle of the roses and the coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth. I was recently commissioned a couple years back to create new (\/) Goddess art inspired similarly between Guadalupe and Tonantzin by my chingona hermana Janet Bella Rosa who also knew Mi padrino Antonio. I felt his spirit guiding me to connect our visions!
Maria Rosa “Vulva Mary” by PJ Superior (altar prints now larger)
Tonantzin is an enduring Nahuatl title for the maternal aspect of any Aztec goddess, much like “Our Lady”, rather than the name of a particular goddess. I chose a blue background to parallel Her starry mantle of heaven and also represent Lake Texcoco since the eagle, snake, and cactus from its story of the founding of ancient Mexico there are present.
Tonantzin in various forms is frequently depicted with eagle feet so I thought it appropriate to have the legendary golden eagle clutch the silvery moon below Her in place of Guadalupe’s cherub. Tonantzin is often known, by many names, to wear a skirt of snakes- the celestial Aztec earth mother Coatlicue’s particular name translates to “She of Snake Skirts”. So I couldn’t help but see the snake emerge from the opening in Her folds here. Frequently in Aztec art snakes emerging from or replacing body parts represents blood so I feel a menstrual element from how the snake manifested in this vision.
Many believe that the apparition of La Virgen de Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill unto St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous peasant originally named Cuauhtlatoatzin meaning “Talking Eagle”, was a vision of a new form of Tonantzin. Her local temple had formerly been on that very site, destroyed by conquistadors. When Cuauhtlatoatzin received these holy visions, the Goddess spoke to him not in Spanish but in his native Nahuatl language even though She identified Herself as The Virgin Mother of God. Even the Church documents testify that The Holy Mother assured him in his moment of doubt, in his Indigenous tongue, “Am I not here who am your Mother?” Indeed Tonantzin Coatlicue herself is said to have had her own divine conception via a feather.
Recommended further reading
Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue & Our Lady of Guadalupe by Maestra Grace