Nine popular myths about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Was the image painted or fabricated by human hands? More in Americas. Bolivian lay council repudiates attacks on the Church, demands government restoration of order Read article. Subscribe to our daily newsletter At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith.
Our mission is the truth. In the 20th and 21st centuries, five attributes in particular have drawn scientific attention. The material of the tilma has maintained its chemical and structural integrity for almost years. This is quite remarkable! Most replicas of tilmas with the same chemical and structural composition last only 15 years before decomposition. For its first years, the tilma was displayed without protective glass. This subjected it to soot, candle wax, incense, and touching.
There is currently no scientific explanation for its physical and chemical longevity. There are several parts of the cloth which have been painted on some time after the original image was created. The original image of the Virgin herself, however , does not appear to have been painted by an artist.
There is no sketch underneath it, no brush strokes, and no corrections. The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown property of the surface and substance of which it is made. According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph. Produced years before the invention of photography. The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or camera. Juan Diego's tilma portraying Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Aquirre invited the team of scientists to examine the eyes of the icon. Professor Chiment's special task was to comment on the age and composition of the fabric and pigments. He visited the shrine in Mexico City twice, did tests on fibers at Cornell, and reported his findings to Dr. Aquirre, and to the Archbishop of Mexico City and his staff. Those who subscribed to the European origin theory said the tilma could not be a local Mexican product because it has lasted so long.
Local cloth made from woven cactus fibers lasts about a decade at most. The tilma is almost five hundred years old, and has been on display in public daily.
People behind this theory said the tilma must be woven from European linen or cotton. Two fibers of the tilma were lent to Professor Chiment for testing. These fibers had been removed from the outer edge of the tilma when it was stored during the Mexican Revolution. The test results showed that the fibers did not come from native cactus plants, nor did they come from cotton, wool, or linen -- fibers that might have been used in Europe. Rather, the tilma seems to have been woven from hemp, a plant native to Mexico.
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