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In Search of the Virgin
YOUR ARTICLE on the Virgin of Guadalupe ["Touched by the Virgin," May 8] is an interesting account of craftsmanship, but it recalls the Black Legend circulated for centuries by anti-Catholic northern Europeans, according to which Spain is responsible for destroying native American institutions.
In fact, the Virgin of Guadalupe has been venerated since the 8th century, when she was credited for having defended Christians against Muslim invaders in Caceres, Spain, near the town of Guadalupe, whose name (which means "Wolf River") was given by the Muslims not only to the town but also to the surrounding mountain range. When the virgin appeared in Mexico in 1531, she is believed to have uttered an Aztec word that sounded to the Spaniards like "Guadalupe," which is why she is associated with her predecessor. The word may have been "coatlaxopeuh," meaning "one who crushes the serpent." The serpent represents the major Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, in whose name human sacrifices were carried out. Can anyone envision this practice continuing in Mexico today?
So the missing link in this story goes back to Muslim Spain, and readers are left to wonder why the author's many wanderings did not include a visit to the real Guadalupe.
Ana Darder
Fairfax
Quirky Madison
I WAS delighted to read the article on Madison, Wis. ["In Madison, Wis., the King of Quirks," May 1], a city I love and have visited often over the past 25 years. However, I have never heard of any of the restaurants and only one of the hotels mentioned. I can't stress enough the beauty of a city surrounded by lakes and centered around the State Capitol square. The Edgewater Hotel, within walking distance of the Capitol, has beautiful suites, rooms and dining areas overlooking Lake Mendota. The Concourse is another excellent hotel on the square.
Visitors can enjoy the parks, museums and university campus, and can spend a Sunday morning browsing the market stalls surrounding the Capitol on four sides, brimming with fruits, meats, produce, baked goods, flowers and plants from the surrounding countryside.
I hope travelers will be sure to visit Madison and that they will take along this article, supplemented by other guides.
Ann McDonell
