‘Las Apariciones de Guadalupe’ were foretold
It was early en el verano and Canutito was busy escribiendo algo on top of the table en la cocina. Estaba tan ocupão que he didn’t notice que Grampo Caralampio had come into the kitchen con una abrazada de elotes. Grampo put down the armload of corncobs, uno a la vez into the sink cerca de la estufa. He noticed que Canutito was writing something enla mesa so he asked him: “M’hijo, what are you working on allí en la mesa?”
“Oh hi, grampo,” Canutito began. “Estoy trabajando en mi history assignment. Tengo que escribir something about el viaje de Christopher Columbus en 1942. He thought que el mundo estaba round and that if he sailed hacia el West, pronto he would get to the Western part del mundo y falta que he might even get to the country of India en la otra part of the world.”
“Ése es un voyage that is worth reporting, m’hijo,” grampo said. Luego he added, “I bet que no sabes the names of the three ships that Columbus brought pa’esta parte del mundo. Te apuesto a dollar que no puedes name them.”
“Oh, that’s easy, grampo,” Canutito said. “Los tres barcos were named La Niña, La Pinta y La Santa María.” Then he quipped: “You owe me un peso, grampo.”
“Very good, m’hijo,” Grampo Caralampio said, poniendo un peso on the table. “I’m glad de ver que they are teaching you algo bueno en la escuela. The three ships were very important porque they brought a muncho gente de España to this side on side of the world. They were also important porque they foretold una cosa muy interesante.” He paused to look at the little boy y luego le preguntó: “What do you know about las Apariciones de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico?”
Canutito pensando por un momento, then said, “La Virgen de Guadalupe appeared in Mexico en el año 1531 al Indio Juan Diego whom she called ‘el más pequeño de mis hijos.’ ” Then he added, “Pero what do the names of the three ships of Columbus have to do with the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, grampo?”
“The names of the three ships predicted the time que Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe would come to Mexico. Cuando haces translate the names of Columbus’ ships, que hacen mean?” grampo asked.
“Let me see,” Canutito said otra vez .“La Niña means ‘the little one,’ La Pinta hace mean ‘spotted’ y La Santa María means ‘the Virgin Mary.’ ”
“Very good, m’hijo,” grampo said. Ahora put a todos los nombres together and see what you get when they are all juntos.”
Canutito said: “The little one spotted the Virgin Mary.” De repente abrió los ojos very wide as he said: “I get it, grampo! The little one is el Indio Juan Diego whom the Virgin called the ‘the littlest of my children’ y ‘he spotted a la Virgen’ en el Cerro de Tepeyac near Mexico City!”
Grampo Caralampio sat down cerca del muchito saying: “Ves, m’hijo, desde un principio, las Apariciones de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe estaban predicted.”
Canutito smiled thinking de mañana en la escuela when he would have something bien para decirle a la mestra y a sus classmates …