Mystery AtlasTilma Human-Painted-Image Theory
The theory, grounded in a 1556 Church inquiry's witness testimony, that the Guadalupe image was painted by a named Indigenous artist rather than miraculously imprinted, and that Juan Diego himself may not have been a historical individual.
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Connected to
How this topic links to the people, places, and ideas around it — drawn from our knowledge graph.
People
Tilma Human-Painted-Image Theory was identified as Marcos Cipac de Aquino — A witness in the 1556 Montufar-Bustamante inquiry testified the image was painted the previous year by 'the Indian painter Marcos'; some historians identify this figure with Cipac de Aquino.
Documents & Sources
Tilma Human-Painted-Image Theory contradicts Callahan-Smith Infrared Study of the Tilma (1979-81) — The absence of visible underdrawing or brushwork is cited by defenders of the traditional account against straightforward human painting, though the study did not test every possible natural production method.
- Codex Escaladadated 1548 (surfaced 1995)
Tilma Human-Painted-Image Theory contradicts Codex Escalada — Would imply the apparition narrative and Juan Diego were already attached to the image well before the 1556 inquiry, complicating a purely later human-painted account; the document's authenticity is itself contested.
Objects & Artifacts
- Juan Diego's Tilma (Our Lady of Guadalupe)December 1531
Tilma Human-Painted-Image Theory attempts to explain Juan Diego's Tilma (Our Lady of Guadalupe).