LA VIRGENCITA x CUSTOM

Inspired by the prayer candles of my youth, I set out to make a candle to celebrate La Virgencita from a modern, feminist perspective. She was a common fixture in my childhood home, an icon of devotion, and yet, I honestly didn't know the history and the true depth of her significance.

While her origins are debated by historians and clergymen alike, her image serves as the symbol of an entire culture, combining the indigenous iconography the Aztecs adhered to and their new religion brought under Spanish rule in the 16th century. The indigenous Aztecs had been plundered, pillaged, and separated from their beliefs, La Virgen provided an icon from both cultures, creating a new heritage together. She is the ultimate symbol of a mother, a symbol to uplift and persevere, an icon to pray to, a mother to orphans and all those who need her.