Theologies of Guadalupe: From the Spanish Colonial Era to Pope John Paul II

Abstract

Theologians writing on Our Lady of Guadalupe strive to articulate a Christian response to a momentous event: the conquest, evangelization, and struggles for life, dignity, and self-determination of the peoples of the Americas. This article critically examines theologies of Guadalupe from their colonial foundations, to their reconfiguration during the rise of the Mexican nation, and to the new interpretations in the post-Vatican II era. In the process it illuminates important parameters for the ongoing development of Guadalupan and other theologies that advance fullness of ecclesial and human life in the American hemisphere and beyond.