Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn: A Reflection

In Los Angeles, Our Lady of Guadalupe is ubiquitous across the cultural landscape. But it’s often only when we find her image in incongruous settings — in tattoos, clothing and graffiti murals — that we sit up and take notice.

I’ve taught Mariology — the theological study of Mary, the mother of Jesus — for more than 20 years at all university levels, and Mary has been a significant element in my research and writing. But I’d always shied away from doing any in-depth work on Guadalupe because I thought the topic was already well covered. I also wanted to respect the important work of Latinx scholars.

But Mariology is like a railroad junction where many tracks converge — theology, art history and sociology. I’ve learned that few people are indifferent when it comes to Mary. Having arrived in Los Angeles after stints working in London and Silicon Valley, I was struck by the richness of lo guadalupano – the spiritual and cultural universe of vibrant Guadalupan devotion. And it was during a conversation with my colleague Nancy Pineda-Madrid at Loyola Marymount University that an idea for a project on contemporary devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe emerged — one involving a range of scholars and practitioners contributing different perspectives to our ever-evolving understanding of the importance of Guadalupe. A new project, Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn, was born.

The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC holds that greater good and a richer truth emerges from reconciling different convictions, experiences and knowledge. Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn brings together diverse perspectives to our ever-evolving understanding of the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Modern academic life is hyper specialized. We are fond of “interdisciplinary” — a term we academics easily confuse with “multidisciplinary,” a rather easier way of working in which we can remain within our own silos. We often don’t really attempt to deeply understand different methods and convictions: theologians talk theology with theologians, and sociologists communicate best with other sociologists. Our goal at IACS is to break down these silos.

Lo guadalupano is bigger than any one viewpoint or discipline. Through our new project, we are breaking new ground by comparing lo guadalupano with other Marian apparitions and devotions; viewing it through the lenses of indigenous cultures and popular devotion and the perspectives of late medieval Spanish spirituality; thinking about how Mary works as a national symbol in other cultures as well as in Mexico; and considering the ‘high art’ of Baroque painting and composition as well as the dances of the matachines and the popular songs sung on December 12.

IACS launched Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn on May 1, 2021, with a day-long series of live webinars featuring theologians, an art historian and a composer. These scholarly discussions were lively, informed and approachable for the non-specialist. We were delighted with how well they turned out. Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn also generated great interest online, with tens of thousands of people across the U.S. responding to the event posts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Many commented on posts with “Amen” and emojis with hearts and hands in prayer. Others wrote personal, heartfelt prayers in Spanish and English.

Our IACS social media feeds — @IACSUSC — became sites of digital pilgrimage, holy places where Our Lady of Guadalupe was present. (I’ve long pondered the famous phrase she directed to St. Juan Diego: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”). This type of social media engagement is a very unusual development for a scholarly project, and shows the importance of the work which is underway: Our Lady of Guadalupe means many different things to different people and, in our modern world of digital communication, they are able to connect with her and each other in new and exciting ways.

As part of Guadalupe – At the Break of Dawn, IACS will soon begin work on a book about lo guadalupano featuring contributions from leading scholars. In the meantime, I have a quiet, but deep, feeling that something else is going on: Our Lady of Guadalupe is busy not only inspiring, but actively guiding our academic work. I believe she has more exciting things, yet to be revealed, in hand.