Murals Depicting Virgin of Guadalupe Are Defaced

About a dozen street-side murals of the Virgin of Guadalupe have been defaced in a Latino neighborhood in recent weeks, disturbing those who revere the patron saint of Mexico as their protector.

Last week, for example, at the El Principio market in South Central Los Angeles, an image of the Virgin was covered with bars of black paint.

The Rev. James Forsen of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church said he believes the vandalism is the work of “someone who has emotional problems and thinks they’re evoking God.”

The Virgin of Guadalupe is believed to have first appeared in 1531 to a Mexican Indian named Juan Diego in the hills outside Mexico City and has been revered for centuries by Roman Catholics, particularly Latinos.

Today, the dark-skinned Virgin is typically depicted in a royal green robe and surrounded by a bright halo.

Her image is printed on T-shirts and tattooed on gang members seeking her protection. Business owners use the image more literally to protect their storefronts from vandalism.

“Most of these businesses paint it because 80% of our kids here who would be responsible for graffiti are gangsters and they are not going to disrespect her like that,” police Officer Cathy Reyes said.

At Gonzalez Party Supplies, a mural of the Virgin was painted on the store to deter graffiti from “cholos,” or Mexican gang members. But manager Elvia Partida said that about a month ago someone splashed it with white paint.

The image was restored, but the vandals struck again, covering the Virgin’s face and using blue paint to write “666” and “La Bestia,” which is Spanish for the devil.

“It’s somebody who doesn’t believe in her, I guess,” Partida said.

Partida said the vandalism started after a shawl imprinted with an image of the Virgin arrived for a three-month tour of Los Angeles-area churches.