Altar 8: The Image Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe

1. Altar 8: “…So when you take an object, say a family photograph, and place it in an altar next to a saint, you are basically saying to the saint, ‘Pray for this person…’ (Turner, 96). In this altar there is an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the central focus. There are also, some other religious images, such as the one of Jesus (left frame on the wall). Surrounding the image of the Lady of Guadalupe are many portraits of what appear to be family members, particularly babies. The frames with the infants could be grandchildren of the owner and they might be there to be protected by the Lady of Guadalupe, who also happens to be a mother.
2. Altar 17: “ I think ‘accumulation’ is a good word to describe the process of acquiring objects that begin to have meaning both in and of themselves and in relation to events or people or places or ideas. The accumulation of objects over time begin to have a power of its own that exceed the power of the individual subject…” (Turner, 100). This alter is a clear definition of accumulation of goods. Each individual object in this altar has its meaning and significance. With out one object or another the altar would be loosing part of itself. Some of the objects
Altar 16: “Next is the burning of the incense or lighting of candles. Ancient and universal practice, establishing fire and light on an altar expresses the desire to exchange energies between the human and Divine. The smoke of perfumed incense carries that message upward into the space between the visible and the invisible” (Turner, 132). At the front of this altar there is what appears to be an object where incense is burned. This might be a way for the owner of the alter to become connected with the higher power and initiate their ritual. Also, directly behind the incense there are 2 candles on either side of the table. This is the light that Turner speaks off in the quote above which is also a way to exchange energies between the Divine and could be a sin of