According to Catholic tradition, in 1531 the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared miraculously

According to Catholic tradition, in 1531 the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared miraculously on the cloak of Juan Diego, an indigenous Mexican peasant after he had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who appeared to him as a dark skinned young woman who spoke to him in his native Nahuatl language. Over the years, her image has become an important symbol not just for Catholics, but for Mexico as a nation, for Chicanos in the United States, and especially for Mexican-American women. Some contemporary Chicana artists have incorporated the symbolism of La Virgen de Guadalupe as part of their own self identity.Top left: Traditional representation of the Virgin of GuadalupeTop right: Antonio Garcia, La Virgen de Guadalupe, 1946Bottom left: Yolanda Lopez, Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe, 1978Bottom right: Alma Lopez, Our Lady, 1999