Vanilla Madonnas:
The Black Madonna in Mexico
by Xequina Maria Berber
"Vanilla" is commonly thought of as bland and off-white - rather than the actual rich brown color of the vanilla bean and its potent extract, indigenous to Mexico. Xequina reminds us of this as she searches out traditional regional images of La Virgen Maria, the Black Madonna throughout Mexico, whose shrines are often located on ancient mesoamerican goddess sites. Going beyond and beneath the European images of the Virgin Mary which overlay some of these Black Madonnas - like the "vaina" or "little sheath" of the vanilla pod - she calls our attention to their pre-hispanic roots and to the attributes they share with the older, indigenous goddesses. She enlivens her research with her dreams and paintings of black madonnas. This study reclaims the Virgin Mary in her potency and her myriad faces and colors, valuing her as a dynamic symbol of feminine Source and creativity.
Master's Thesis, June 1997
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"Vanilla" is commonly thought of as bland and off-white - rather than the actual rich brown color of the vanilla bean and its potent extract, indigenous to Mexico. Xequina reminds us of this as she searches out traditional regional images of La Virgen Maria, the Black Madonna throughout Mexico, whose shrines are often located on ancient mesoamerican goddess sites. Going beyond and beneath the European images of the Virgin Mary which overlay some of these Black Madonnas - like the "vaina" or "little sheath" of the vanilla pod - she calls our attention to their pre-hispanic roots and to the attributes they share with the older, indigenous goddesses. She enlivens her research with her dreams and paintings of black madonnas. This study reclaims the Virgin Mary in her potency and her myriad faces and colors, valuing her as a dynamic symbol of feminine Source and creativity.