Abstract

SUAREZ, Ana Lourdes  and  MARCHETTA, Agustín Perez. The Virgin that "Appears" in Salta: Why do Local People Turn their Back to Her?. Andes [online]. 2015, vol.26, n.1, pp.00-00. ISSN 1668-8090.

The paper presents the phenomenon of the "appareances" of the Virgin in Salta. It discusses the stages of its development, the seers´s discourse, the main ceremony of the event, and socio-demographic characteristics of people who attend the site. We also discuss the organization´s strategies of legitimization, and the ones deployed by the hierarchy of Salta to try to minimize its impact and to "control" the phenomenon. A brief characterization of the devotions rooted in the society of Salta is done. We are interested in understanding why local people have not adopted the Virgen del Cerro among their devotions; and they do not visit the site that is in their own city. We argue that the entire event is part of a theological pastoral line of fundamentalist type which has a long tradition in Argentina. This tradition has tended to be stronger among  conservative sectors of the high class. It represents a theological line away from a popular context; away, therefore, from the Salta popular religiosity.

Keywords : Marian apparitions; Salta; Marian devotion; Religiosity.

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