Secrets unfold in eyes of Virgin

Scientists’ discoveries seem to back legend of the ancient apparition

By Elena Inés Rodríguez Sánchez
Adelante contributor

Each answer unfolds more questions
José Aste Tonsmann is a Peruvian specialist in image digitalization. In the 1980s, he was residing in Mexico and working for the IBM Science Center when he discovered a secret lying in the eyes of the Virgin. In late 2001, he published the results in a conference at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Ateneum, in Rome. During the 20 years he spent studying the tilma, Aste Tonsmann amplified photographs of the Virgin’s eyes and found something surprising. The reflection in her eyes shows a group of people staring back at her. Tonsmann and others believe this is the same group of people who were present at the time that the tilma was shown to the bishop, according to the “Nican Mopohua” narration of the miracle, written in Nahuatl language, during the sixteenth century.
The pupils reflect a Franciscan brother with tears sliding from his eyes; a man with his hand on his beard (Bishop Juan de Zumárraga); another indigenous man in prayer; some children and several other Franciscans.
Scientists cannot explain how all these images can be painted in a space as small as the cornea, so reduced that it was necessary to amplify the photographs 2,500 times in order to discover them.
In the centermost point of one pupil, at a much smaller scale, there is yet another scene, independent from the first one: an indigenous family formed by a man, a woman and children.
Experts from the textile industry cannot understand how the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been conserved since 1531, exposed to dust, heat, and humidity, without wearing down, and without discoloration. It was not until 1993 that it was covered with a special bulletproof glass. Juan Diego’s tilma is kept in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The fabric is a traditional Mexican “ayate,” made of fibers of the agave plant, which typically decomposes within 20 years. Nobel Chemistry prize recipient Richard Kuhn, who studied the painting in 1936, is quoted as saying that the coloration is not of a mineral, vegetable, or animal source. The painting on the fabric is yet another mystery.
In 1979, NASA scientists Philip Callagan and Jodie Smith studied the tilma with infrared rays. They reported that the image had been painted in one step, with no sketches or corrections. There are no paintbrush strokes. The color of the image varies slightly when observed from different angles.
On Nov. 14, 1921, a factory worker placed a bomb a few feet away from the case that protected the tilma. The explosion demolished the marble steps of the main altar, the windows of nearby homes and it bent a brass crucifix. But the fabric suffered no damage.
As for Tonsmann’s research, there has been no official reaction from the Vatican. However, on July 31, 2001, John Paul II traveled to the Basilica of Guadalupe to canonize Juan Diego, the visionary of the apparitions.

Roses that went down in history
According to the “Nican Mopohua,” the indigenous Juan Diego was walking to catechism and Mass when, at the foot of Mount Tepeyac, in Mexico, he heard a voice calling him: “Little Juan, Little Juan Diego.” He saw a Lady more radiant than the sun. She introduced herself as the “always Virgin Mary, Mother of God.” She asked him to talk to the bishop and have him build a temple for her there, but the bishop paid no attention.
The next day, Bernardino, Juan Diego’s uncle, became very ill. “Go to the capital, Mexico City. Summon a priest to come confess me.”
Juan Diego started his walk and planned a different route to avoid stopping at Mount Tepeyac. The Lady was waiting for him at the other turn of the road. “What concerns you is not important anymore. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Climb to the hilltop, cut the flowers you will see there, and bring them back.” Juan Diego was amazed to see a mass of blooming roses, in spite of the cold and the aridity of the windy summit. That was the proof he took to the bishop. He opened his tilma, and the roses fell upon the floor. The image of the Virgin Mary was mysteriously painted on the inside of the fabric. The bishop and all who were present fell on their knees and asked forgiveness for their disbelief. News quickly scattered and people came from far away to see the miracle. When Juan Diego returned to his uncle’s house, he found him healed.

Our Lady of Guadalupe festivities
The holiday is traditionally celebrated on Dec. 12. In Columbia, Sacred Heart Parish will hold a solemn ceremony, followed by a more colorful celebration than last year’s, with traditional food, dance, and music, including the participation of children.

Elena Rodríguez is a Costa Rican radio and television journalist, and columnist for Eco Católico, Costa Rica’s national Catholic newspaper. She is a master’s student at the Missouri School of Journalism. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theology.