I took this one last week while killing a few minutes before going back to the office. Now, I don't know much about Catholic iconography, but my question is not about the woman surrounded by flames. My question is: What is that scary-looking thing crawling out of the earth beneath her?
P.S. I'm almost certain this mural is older than the "Go Spurs Go" slogan. I think that was added on to the kid's t-shirt as an afterthought.
That's an angel, and he's supporting the moon that she is standing upon. He's not supposed to be scary-looking, though neighborhood murals should probably not be held to the same standards as the Sistine Chapel.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing you need to consider is that Mexico has its own iconography separate from the rest of the Catholic church. There is a lot of it that incorporates Aztec symbols and icons mixed in with the Christian stuff. In many places there are saints that are merely transformed Aztec gods, the same way some of the old European gods became saints centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now that I now she's supposed to be standing on the moon and that thing is supposed to be an angel, I was able to research it.
ReplyDeleteThat is not a very good angel.