Summaries

Synopsis

Every year in Mexico City, more than twenty million people visit the miraculous image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Having purportedly appeared in 1531 to an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego during the New World's spiritual conquest, this unique 'brown skinned' virgin symbolizes the ethnic and religious syncretism that ensued after one of the most remarkable culture clashes in history. In addition to its spiritual significance, the emblem of Guadalupe also marked the beginning of New Spain's nationalist sentiment and was used as Mexico's first flag during its fight for independence in the 19th century.

According to the narrative believed by most Mexicans today, the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe occurred in December 1531. However, such astounding event was only made known for the very first time until 1648 when the church officially published the account as we know it today. During more than a century, 117 years to be exact, the miraculous apparitions of the virgin of Guadalupe were never alluded to in writing by the church, nor by the viceroyalty, nor the chroniclers of the time. How could it be that such a portentous event is absent from the thousands of documents written during that period? What transpired during all those decades of enigmatic mutism?

This documentary film addresses this historical silence as it reveals little known events that shed light on the origins of this powerful image which contributed to forge Mexico's identity. The staging of ancient chronicles, interviews with historians, indigenous rituals and multitudinous religious celebrations finally shed light on the origins of Mexico's 'brown-skinned' virgin of Guadalupe revealing the birth of a nation and one of the most unique cultures in the world.