Apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Supposedly in the year 1531, a poor Indian by the name of Juan Diego witnessed the appearance of the Lady of Guadalupe. This happened not only once or twice, but at least four times. The first document describing the events that happened was written by Nican Mopohua in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. This original document has never been found, however, a copy was made. The document in question is that of Luis Lasso de la Vega, published in 1649. Luis was a 17th century Mexican priest and lawyer. The original document was created in Mexico along with Lasso de la Vega’s copy. The document was created almost 120 years after the events took place. It is based on the sworn testimony of Carlos de Sigeunza y Gongora and not a firsthand account. I strongly believe that the document was created solely to inform and persuade the Aztec Indians. The Spanish, since arriving to South America, had been on a mission to convert the Aztec Indians to Roman Catholicism. The Aztec’s religion was based on sacrifice, the more the better. One can imagine the difficult task of converting one person’s religion much less a whole new group of people. The Aztecs worshiped many Gods, the sun, moon, and planet Venus. Human sacrifice for the gods played a major role in Aztec religion. Roman Catholicism on the other hand worships only one God and does not practice human sacrifice. Considering that the author of this document happens to be a Roman Catholic priest, I have to admit that there is a bias towards the events that took place. The story gives the reader visions of a peaceful, loving and caring Virgin Mary. It provides a foundation for the potential rewards that come with faith in the Roman Catholic religion. Our Lady of Guadalupe is giving the witnesses proof that if you believe in this God, miracles can and will happen. If an Aztec priest were the author of such an article we would have a very different bias. He or she would probably find a way to connect these visions to the position of the sun, moon, or time of year. I’m sure he or she could have a made a strong argument in favor of the Aztec religion. The document is well written and very convincing. I am the type of person who has to see something to believe it. If I was an Aztec I would have had a very hard time believing such a story. However considering the many human sacrifices for the Aztec religion, I would have definitely been ready for a new type of religion. A religion were you don’t have to worry about losing a family member or friend every time Venus or the Sun needed to be satisfied.