Mexico City, Mexico 12-2-02

“What is the appropriate religious tchachke to buy for a nun?”

This is a question that comes up less often than one might think. Yet there I was, in one of my favorite cities in front of one my favorite sights, the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City staring this quandary squarely in the eyes. The Basilica is on the sight where, the story goes, Juan Diego, an indigenous Indian recently converted to Catholicism, saw the Virgin Mary on December 9, 1531. It is one of the largest, most important, and most visited Catholic sights in the world. Guadalupe is Patron Saint of the Americas, and in 2002 Juan Diego became the first native American to be named a saint. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Guadalupe to the 22 million people of Mexico City. There are alters and shrines to the “dark virgin” everywhere from parks to parking garages. Before taking the oath of office, Mexican President Vincente Fox crawled into the Basilica on his knees.

Any place in Mexico City that attracts crowds – which is most of Mexico City – also attracts venders, purveyors of stuff. The Basilica draws a lot of crowds, so it draws a lot of people trying to sell things to them. On the plaza in front of the Basilica one can have (as I did) one’s picture taken next to a statue of a donkey and in front of life sized images of Juan Diego, Guadalupe, and the Pope. It’s the mother of all Forrest Gump moments. Outside of the Basilica’s compound, endless venders sell an endless stock of what can only be called Guadalupe tchochkes. There are glow in the dark statues of the Virgin and pictures of the Virgin decapaged into walnut shell key chains. There are clear plastic cubes with dioramas of the miracle inside. There are clocks, refrigerator magnets, pens, and t-shirts. I bought a sort of shadow box with a picture of Guadalupe sprinkled with glitter and with a red Christmas light in front of it. Most of what is sold in the stalls on the streets is also sold at official gift shops inside. The line between the sacred and the profane is very fuzzy in Mexico City.

All of which brings me to the problem of the gift for the nun.

I work with a Sister of Mercy, Sister Janice. I had to buy her something. One cannot work with a nun, visit such a big deal Catholic place, and not bring back a gift.

At one end were the large, beautiful, and pricey hand carved sculptures. This just isn’t my style. And besides, don’t nuns already have all that stuff they can handle? On the other end were the glow in the dark Christs on the cross and the posters that changed from Jesus to the Virgin and back depending on one’s angle of approach. These seemed somehow over the top.

As a cop-out, I considered saying I lit a candle for her, but that would be a lie, and regardless of one’s faith, lying to a nun seems somehow worse than lying to regular people.

I settled on a theme votive, a small candle wrapped in foil on which is printed an image of Guadalupe (and the phone number of the company that makes them, in case you want to order more). It was small, easy to pack, captures the feel of the place, and can be explained without saying, “really, compared to the stuff I could have brought, this isn’t cheesy at all…”