La Reina del Cielo y de Los Nuevo Mejicanos

Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

 

Our New Mexican ancestors revered Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. Naming male and female children in her honor, naming one church after another for "La Reina del Cielo y de los Mejicanos", as the song goes. No other saint is so revered in Mexico or New Mexico, not one comes close. Nuestra Senora was everywhere in our lives as we grew up, you could not avoid bumping into her namesake or image, not even if you tried. Not that anyone ever did.

 

If you research families as we do, you will be dumbfounded with the number of people named Guadalupe in New Mexico. There are "Lupe's" every where in every family over the generations. The only other names that were more popular were Jose for men and Maria for both men and women. But Guadalupe holds a special place in New Mexican hearts,

 

I have not attended church in almost 50 years and consider myself a non believer. And I still carry her image in my wallet, I always have. I really don't know why, sort of a mystery even to me. But her picture there gives me an odd sense of calm when I look at it, always has and I do not think that will change.

 

The naming of our children after "Nuestra Senora" is one aspect of our New Mexican culture that had probably passed and it is one aspect I miss. Not too, too,  many Guadalupe's left amongst us anymore.