The Virgin Mary: How Do You Photograph Her Impact?

Diana Markosian (website) discusses the difficult task of finding a way to photograph people's notions of the most powerful woman in the world: the Virgin Mary.

In the deeply devout town of Puebla, Mexico, residents hold their own parade for the Virgin Mary, during the Feast of Guadalupe. Statues are carried to a local church, blessed, and then exchanged among families. After the parade, families take their newly acquired statues to their homes, for display. The following year, the statues are paraded back to the church and given to another family. #feastofguadalupe #mexico #natgeo #virginmary

Una foto publicada por markosian (@markosian) el 12 de Dic de 2015 a la(s) 2:12 PST

Image taken on assignment for @natgeo in Puebla, Mexico, where crowds of worshippers, including a woman dressed in a Justin Bieber shirt, celebrate the Feast of Guadalupe on December 12. The worshippers bring religious icons of Mary to a local church, where the items are blessed and then paraded around town. #mexico #virginmary #natgeo

Una foto publicada por markosian (@markosian) el 11 de Dic de 2015 a la(s) 5:45 PST

I spent the past year, traveling to different corners of the world, exploring the idea of the Virgin Mary. My first stop was Medjugorje, where Mary appeared to six children more than 20 years ago. I put up a sign on top of Apparition Hill, asking people who had experienced visions of Mary to call me. Each person shared their vision, which local artist Lisa Abbott then sketched. Full story is in this month's issue of @natgeo. Thank you to @cdukehart for this lovely write up: http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/02/visions-of-the-virgin-mary/

Una foto publicada por markosian (@markosian) el 3 de Dic de 2015 a la(s) 11:53 PST