Agree to disagree

Hi Dad,

I've read a lot of interesting arguments about the tilma. The church has never authorized a scientific study to be released, but there are plenty of well-researched arguments that this is a copy of a traditional painting made by a converted Aztec who would have been educated by the Spaniards who conquered Mexico in the 1500's. Certainly it is one of the most important images ever made, just like the Sistine ceiling or Guernica, and it helped the church thrive because its beauty equated with a miracle in the eyes of peasants who had never seen European artistry. I don't think the paranormal explanations are believable or necessary, but at that time they would have easily convinced the uneducated Indians to convert to Christianity (just like the Pagans in Rome and the Celtic people in Ireland etc). In fact, I read that there was already a shrine dedicated to a pagan goddess on that spot, so it would be likely that the story of the cloak was used to unite the old beliefs and the new. Even her features are said to reflect those of indigenous Mexican people, rather than a Jewish woman which Mary was. Most people today don't realize that humans were very sophisticated by this time, and with God's intervention, they were finally able to share knowledge far and wide, there were enormous triumphs in music and art and science...just look at any art or engineering that came out of Italy during this time. Italians painted on wood panels and linen, but the tilma is said to be blended with hemp which is one of the most durable fibers, and possibly preserved by the minerals on the surface (calcium and magnesium resist oxidizing of natural fibers). The colors are indeed earth pigments that are probably unique to that region, so couldn't be explained by European scientists. One of my co-workers from Oppenheimer uses an ancient technique of mixing egg yolk with found mineral deposits...red and yellow pigments from South Dakota and lapis lazuli from Turkey--to create some of the most exquisite, colorful paintings of molecular structures, and no brush strokes are visible-plus the minerals all have different opacity and reflectivity properties that can be layered for different subtle effects...if that's a miracle then I know plenty of miracle workers. It's a skill some artists have, an ability to manipulate materials in ways most of us wouldn't imagine. The fun in looking at art is not only seeing and interpreting the end product, but imagining the layers and reading into the construction. I'd hate to crush anyone's belief in miracles (I still haven't told Zoe that the tooth fairy is made up, just that she is unreliable lately?!) but I like what one person wrote, which was "the miracle of the tilma exists in the hearts of those who believe." Thankfully there is no harm in it, no one is starting a jihad because of this. My landlord and her family just drove across the border to the Baja region where they'll be living for the next few months. I'll be interested in hearing about her travels there, maybe it will convince me to visit someday.

Love
Sus