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Communion of White Saints
Let's get one thing straight.
This is NOT what Juan Diego looked like. Juan Diego was an Indian. He did not have a beard. He was not white. He was not European. He was a poor, practically enslaved man living under the oppression of his conquerors. THAT'S THE WHOLE FREAKING POINT! So why is this the official image that will be printed on prayer cards for the saint being canonized as I type? Because it's based on the "most accurate" depiction of Juan Diego that exists. Of course, "during the spanish colony, Indians were often painted to look European, to enhance their status," according to Elio Masferrer, an anthropologist and historian. So the Vatican is not being racist on their own, their just refusing to correct the racism of the past.
Now this is St. Juan Diego.
This is NOT what Juan Diego looked like. Juan Diego was an Indian. He did not have a beard. He was not white. He was not European. He was a poor, practically enslaved man living under the oppression of his conquerors. THAT'S THE WHOLE FREAKING POINT! So why is this the official image that will be printed on prayer cards for the saint being canonized as I type? Because it's based on the "most accurate" depiction of Juan Diego that exists. Of course, "during the spanish colony, Indians were often painted to look European, to enhance their status," according to Elio Masferrer, an anthropologist and historian. So the Vatican is not being racist on their own, their just refusing to correct the racism of the past.Now this is St. Juan Diego.