Spirituality for Latinas offers a framework for making sense of the world, and it is common for Latinos to turn to spiritual beliefs and practices during times of crisis (Urrabazo, 2000). The focus of this study was to investigate the meaning of knowledge of the symbol of La Virgen de Guadalupe in the lives of female Mexican-American college students. Specifically, the study explored whether such knowledge transmitted through generations and migration to the U.S. carries on as a coping strategy by these women in college.

Ten participants took part in this qualitative study. An interview protocol was developed by the researcher based on previous research on Mexican-Americans. The ARSMA-II (1995) was administered to assess participants' acculturation levels, and examine possible relationships between acculturation, spirituality and utilization of La Virgen as a coping strategy.

Results of the study indicate that contextual family precursors, such as SES and positive views on the value of education, contributed to participants' decision to pursue higher education for family and individual advancement. Once in college, participants faced major stressors due to having to balance academic and family needs. The majority of participants held important roles in their family system prior to moving away to college, which contributed to feelings of conflict and guilt due to no longer being able to maintain these roles. The sample endorsed several types of coping to manage negative emotions, including spiritual coping.

The Guadalupe symbol was found to be a coping strategy for participants. La Virgen's gender made her symbol more accessible. Participants believed it possible to have a personal relationship with her, since she is a symbol of womanhood and has empathy for women's struggles. Fifty-percent of the sample reported having faith in La Virgen. They felt that she could be of help to them, that she had interceded on their behalf, and participants still had a strong attachment and affection towards her image. Eighty-percent of participants re-interpreted La Virgen's image as having positive attributes that could help them persevere through adversities. The majority of participants rejected aspects of her symbol that were viewed as oppressive and limiting.