Worn, painted, reimagined: The power and complexity of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is everywhere in art, memory and protest. She's instantly recognizable — hands in prayer, floral dress, starry mantle — but she represents much more than religious devotion. Her 500-year history weaves through colonial violence, activism, survival and cultural adaptation. Today, she remains a powerful symbol, embraced across generations, communities and identities.

"She's pervasive everywhere. She hangs on cars, people tattoo her on their bodies, and artists in particular have expanded that image. They might not look at her in religious terms, but they definitely look at her culturally," said Jeanette Rodriguez, a professor of theology at Seattle University.

This episode explores the evolving meaning of her image through the lens of artists and scholars. Mingei International Museum curator Ariana Torres reflects on the contradictions that give Guadalupe lasting relevance. Theologian Jeanette Rodriguez offers a decolonial interpretation of her origin. Designer Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski draws on family and heritage to bring la Virgen into contemporary fashion. And muralist Josue Baltezar shares how he honored the connection between the Virgin and an Indigenous earth deity.

Photos: See the artistry up close from Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski's jacket to moments from our visit to the Mingei

"I think that she's kind of been reclaimed since the beginning. I think reclamation is really what has built her. She's been reclaimed to be against Spain, to be the symbol of Mexican identity. And then she's been reclaimed to, I think, in a way, reject even a broader Mexican nationalist identity — to be like, this is a very personal symbol to me and it has nothing to do with maybe even just being Mexican," Torres said. "And I think it's really interesting how she has been reclaimed as a feminist figure with a lot of people."

Across borders and belief systems, Guadalupe's image lives on — reshaped by those who continue to find meaning in her presence.

Guests:

• Ariana Torres, assistant curator at Mingei International Museum
• Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski, fashion designer and owner of Sew Loka
• Jeanette Rodriguez, PhD, Professor of Theology at Seattle University
• Josue Baltezar, muralist and designer

Mentioned in this episode:

• Yolanda López | Chicana artist and activist known for reimagining Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of empowerment
• "Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design" | Exhibition exploring the Virgin of Guadalupe's influence on textile design and fashion currently on view at Mingei International Museum
• Nahuatl | Indigenous language of the Aztecs, still spoken today in parts of Mexico and the United States
• Northridge earthquake | A 6.7-magnitude quake that struck Los Angeles in 1994, causing widespread damage and lasting trauma
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church | Catholic church in Logan Heights that also runs an elementary school
• Las Maestras Center | UCSB-based organization uplifting Chicana, Latina and Indigenous feminisms through research and storytelling
• Arianna Ystelle | Chicana photographer whose photo series in "Fashioning an Icon" captures 30 portraits taken across San Diego and Tijuana
• Diana Benavídez | Binational artist from the San Diego-Tijuana border region known for piñata art that blends pop culture and social commentary, including "Even Guadalupe Needs a Break," featured in "Fashioning an Icon"

Sources:

• "Mexican Catholicism: Conquest, Faith, and Resistance" (Jessica Frankovich, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, 2019)
• "Mexico's Independence Day marks the beginning of a decade-long revolution" (Heather Brady, National Geographic, 2018)
• "Pilgrimage and revolution: How Cesar Chavez married faith and ideology in landmark farmworkers' march" (Lloyd Daniel Barba, The Conversation, 2023)
• "Sew Loka creates 4 x Jackets for the San Diego International Airport" (Sew Loka, 2024)
• "Earth system impacts of the European arrival and Great Dying in the Americas after 1492" (Alexander Koch, Chris Brierley, Mark M. Maslin, Simon L. Lewis, Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019)
• "Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs" (Camilla Townsend, Oxford University Press, 2019)
• "How smallpox devastated the Aztecs – and helped Spain conquer an American civilization 500 years ago" (Richard Gunderman, The Conversation via PBS News, 2019)
• Yolanda M. López: Works: 1975-1978 (UC San Diego MFA Thesis Exhibition Program, 1978)
• "Remembering Yolanda López, Chicana Artist And Activist From Barrio Logan" (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2021)
• "How painter Yolanda López gave the Virgin of Guadalupe a feminist tweak" (Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 2022)
• "Is our Lady of Guadalupe inspired by the goddess Tonantzin?" (Mexico News Daily, 2023)
• "From Coatlicue to Guadalupe: The Image of the Great Mother in Mexico" (Patrizia Granziera, Studies in World Christianity, 2004
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Explained (Steubenville Press via The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, 2013)