As we near the impending end date for reporting I find myself reeling from loads of content in the form of photos, audio and video. I’ve documented merchandise in dollar stores in Washington D.C., unique calling cards in Austin, Texas and tourist photo props at a basilica in Mexico City.
I’ve been covering the Virgen de Guadalupe as a cultural and religious symbol in the United States and no matter where I’ve traveled I’ve found her image widely used on everything from t-shirts to altars to tattoos. I’ve decided to share some photographs of where I’ve found her along with captions describing how she is used.
La Virgen de Guadalupe, in this case a prop for tourist photos at the Basilica de la Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico City, is put in storage during the swine flu pandemic.
A pilgrim from Chalma, Mexico tips his hat, which he has airbrushed with the face of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
An engineer at a video studio in Monterrey, Mexico has placed a sticker of the Virgen de Guadalupe on his toolbox for protection. The Mexican flag in the background also shows his patriotism.
A tourist shop in Tijuana, Mexico has a mural of the Virgen de Guadalupe in the rear of their shop.
The Virgen de Guadalupe is placed in between clothes in the window display of a trendy boutique in the Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City.
A diabetic patient sits in her living room in Phoenix, Arizona, watched over by the Virgen de Guadalupe.
In Austin, Texas a young girl shows off a bag her mother made and decorated with the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe.
The Virgen de Guadalupe decorates a $5 calling card in Austin, Texas.
The Virgen de Guadalupe is printed on this sweater, but the clothing brand is based in Japan where a community of lowrider enthusiasts and fans of Chicano culture has thrived for the past twenty years.
This San Fransisco artist is painting several Virgen de Guadalupe images to be placed in a church in the Phillipines.
The Virgen de Guadalupe decorates a blanket hung in the back of a dollar store in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington D.C. The Virgin, Jesus, and Barack Obama were the most popular images in the store.
