THE IMAGE OF A MIRACLE: THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE AND THE CONTEXT OF THE APPARITIONS

In any case, what is not debatable is that there is no evidence of the existence either of the apparition or of the image of the Mexican Guadalupe anywhere in New Spain until September 6, 1556, when Montúfar included this topic in a sermon that he preached in the Cathedral of Mexico.9 On that occasion, the archbishop opened his address with the formula "Beati oculi qui vident quae nos videtis," a verse from Luke 10:23 by which Montúfar introduced the theme of marvel into the lives of the people who listened to him.10 With this opening, the archbishop wanted to make known how lucky they were, witnesses of a miraculous event, touched by the grace of Christ who, as a sign of his love for his church in the Indies, would not hesitate to send the Virgin, his Mother. [...]this devotion finds open support from the religious authorities who want to promote these practices among the Spaniards and spread it among the Indians: Él [Montúfar] procuró de persuadir a todo el pueblo a devoción de nuestra Sra., diciendo cómo su hijo precioso en muchas partes ponía devoción a la imagen de su Madre preciosa en los pueblos y en los despoblados, y para esto señaló a nuestra Sra. de la Antigua y de los Remedios, y nuestra Sra. de los Reyes dentro de la iglesia mayor de Sevilla, y nuestra Sra. de Monserrat y de la Peña de Francia, y nuestra Sra. del Orito [sic].11 (Torre Villar 51, my emphasis) We can see that, according to Montúfar, the image of the Virgin had been "placed" in this context purposely following a specific plan designed by Christ himself. [...]it corroborates the miracle referred to by the cattle farmer and, what is more important, it does not mention any other miraculous event, silencing the supposed prior famous ap+paritions of the Virgin. According to the previous quote, Montúfar should have received two hundred lashes for his behavior.18 In conclusion, based on the documentation from the period, it is highly unlikely that the legend of Juan Diego and the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe took place they way they are recorded in the folklore. [...]the more the popular beliefs grew closer to the teachings of the empire, the less idolatrous they seemed, a progression that Montúfar saw from afar and used to the benefit of the Spanish Catholic Church (although not necessarily its orthodoxy) and its establishment in the New World. 1 Juan Diego was beatified on April 9, 1990, in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II and canonized on July 31, 2002, in the Basilica of G