SLIDESHOW: Devotion on doorsteps

Posted by Sarah Keeler on October 07, 2007



At first glance, there may be nothing noticeable about them. With closer inspection, the detail and intricacies appear. Not only do you realize the sheer number of shrines existing on each street, but you also get a sense of just how much religious devotion is poured into these varied proclamations of faith found on doorsteps.

These religious displays, prominently of Catholic saints and icons, are found throughout the various Hispanic neighborhoods of Tucson. They are just one of many visible signs of foreign culture flourishing and expanding in the melting pot of the United States. This group of individuals whom proudly profess their faith for all on the street to see share the same seemingly unyielding devotion to their religion.

One common depiction found around homes is of Our Lady of Guadalupe. An adaptation of Virgin Mary and the patron saint of Mexico, she was given a Feast Day of December 12 to celebrate the story of a miracle in Guadalupe, Mexico. The story, which can be found at catholic-forum.com, dates back to 1531, when it is reported that Mary appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego. She asked him to ensure a chapel was built in her honor on the spot where she appeared to him and left an image of herself on a piece of cloth as a sign. This image represents the Immaculate Conception of Christ with inclusion of the sun, moon and stars behind a maiden with an angel underneath her feet, according to the forum’s Web site.

Another common representation is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a depiction of the Son of God typically with a crown of thorns around his heart below a burning cross. Other saints of note, though not as commonly found in front-yard shrines, are Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus and the patron saint of laborers, and Phillip of Jesus, a Mexican-born martyr who is the patron saint of Mexico City, according to the forum.