Blurb:
Learn how 10 million Aztecs discovered Christ from within their own mythology, culture and history. What can Our Lady of Guadalupe teach us about inculturation of the gospel?
Excerpt from episode:
“The most striking thing about the miraculous image depicted is that it is both Aztec and Christian at the same time – and in fact the symbols speak to both cultures profoundly. In no particular order, we see depicted is standing upon the moon with the blazing sun behind her; for the Aztecs this denoted a certain primacy of Mary over the chief gods they worshipped, while for Christians, it denoted the woman in Revelation, clothed with the sun and standing on the moon.
The moon is actually covered in snake skin, which hearkens to the Aztec serpent God of human sacrifices, while also representing the Christian promise that Mary’s offspring will crush the head of the serpent. The sun rays are brightest around the womb of Mary, and in fact the woman is depicted wearing a belt which is consistent with Aztec mothers. What would have struck them as strange though is that the woman’s hair was worn loose and tumbling down, which denoted that she was in fact a virgin, a Virgin who was at the same time conceiving!
Another detail is that the woman is presented as being carried by a red angel down to the people, hinting at both the angel Gabriel and the fact that Mary is the meeting place of heaven and earth: red symbolises earth for the Aztecs, while Mary’s blue mantel symbolises heaven.
The flower pattern on Mary’s inner garment is the Nahui Ollin, which for the Aztecs symbolised divinity – hinting at the presence of the Spirit dwelling in Mary, who is full of grace. Amazingly, there are 46 stars on Mary’s mantle, and far from being randomly placed around her body, are actually consistent with the constellations above Mexico on the night of 12 Dec, 1531, the night the image first apparated! More on THAT later…”