ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most important symbol for the Chicano population-and especially for Chicanas-is the Virgen de Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a symbol of the mestizaje, or combination of European and indigenous Mexican blood and beliefs. Her coming was conceived as a resurrection or the birth of a new mestizo people. For the Chicano community, Guadalupe has been a synonym of political unity, cultural affirmation, and freedom from oppression. Ce´sar Cha´vez and others involved in Chicano activism during the 1960s and 1970s often carried flags and signs of the icon, as Miguel Hidalgo (one of Mexico’s founding fathers) did in the war of Mexican Independence. On December 12 every year, millions of people make pilgrimages to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Outside Mexico, Catholics celebrate the event as well. Our Lady of Guadalupe has been named the patron saint of the Americas by the Catholic Church.
