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The Guadalupe Institute is a New Mexico non-profit corporation formed after the Guadalupe ’87 Bicentennial/Diamond Jubilee event in Las Cruces, in which the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Order of Friars Minor, a NM non-profit corporation, and the Tortugas Indians, Las Cruces participated. It was just one of many Bicentennial/Diamond Jubilee events celebrating the 200th of the U.S. Constitution, and the 75th of New Mexico Statehood by which New Mexicans celebrated their statehood while celebrating the constitution of its conqueror. Guadalupe ‘87 was followed by successive annual Guadalupe events at Santa Fe, El Paso, San Antonio, Poland, and then Dallas. The late summer Guadalupe 1992 event in Dallas was preceded by significant Guadalupe exhibits at the SMU Museums. The Spanish Guadalupe is a small wooden statue found near the Guadalupe River, Spain. The name is a combination of Arabic words, guada for river, and lupe for wolf, thus Santa Maria de Guadalupe. “According to legend, it had been carved by St. Luke the Evangelist in Ephesus; over time it supposedly came into the possession of Pope Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604), who in turn gave it to San Leandro of Seville (d. ca. 600).” The statue remained in Seville until the Muslim invasion when it was taken to the mountains of Estremadura and buried. It was discovered in the 13th Century. A royal Monastery was established in 1389. “King Ferdinand (1452-1516) and Queen Isabella (1451-1504) often spent time in Guadalupe and apparently were there in 1486 when Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) traveled with the Court to persuade the Catholic monarchs of Spain to underwrite his adventure. Columbus, himself a devotee of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, vowed to make a pilgrimage to Guadalupe in thanksgiving for her protection during a severe storm on his first voyage. While he probably did not fulfill that vow until 1496, it is certain that he was then at the shrine. The baptismal register of Guadalupe shows that on Friday, 29 April 1496, two American natives, Cristobal and Pedro, were baptized at the shrine.” Hernan Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan, Mexico in 1521. “Cortes grew up only a short distance from the village and monastery of Guadalupe. He surely knew the place as a young man. His devotion led him to make offerings supportive of the monastery and in special gratitude to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe for recovery from a scorpion bite in 1528. That same year he also made a pilgrimage to Guadalupe ‘to make a novena.’” Guadalupe in Mexico is credited particularly with the acceptance of those born of mixed parentage. She is a national icon because of her role in separation of Mexico from Spain. The treaty with the United States, called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago, was signed near Mexico City, reportedly in the Sanctuary of the Guadalupe Shrine Basilica. Credits: Direct quotes above are taken from the Program “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe: Mother of God, Mother of the Americas,” 25 July - 19 September, 1992, The Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Galleries, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275-0476, Edwin E. Sylvest, Jr. Curator. purpose The purpose of the Guadalupe Institute is to create an on-going structure for dialogue, a process of listening and attempting to respond. Issues would include economic, government, trade, development, education, and religion. An additional goal is a depository for Guadalupe memorabilia. There is an East/West Center in Hawaii, and now a North/South Center in Florida. The Guadalupe Institute could conceivably fulfill the role of a Western Hemisphere Center in New Mexico. It could assist with programs somewhat similar to those mentioned above. Synopsis History:
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Copyright © 2012 The Guadalupe Institute, a New Mexico non-profit corporation, all rights reserved. |
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