Growing up in a family with immigrant parents from different Latin American countries, Jeannette is particularly drawn to art and religion. Her father and his family immigrated to the United States from Colombia in search of safety and economic opportunities, while her mother and her family fled Nicaragua when the Sandinista National Liberation Front overthrew the Somoza dynasty. With her home completely ravaged by guerrilla warfare, my mother and her family sought refuge in different countries until granted asylum in the United States. As a first-generation Nicaraguan-Colombian American, Jeannette’s parents instilled a deep respect and appreciation for the United States while keeping alive their own cultural traditions. Jeannette’s academic pursuits exemplify these values, as her research in art and religion provides valuable interdisciplinary perspectives that illuminate culture.

In 2024, Jeannette was accepted to pursue a dual Phd degree at Claremont Graduate University, a graduate-only research institution part of the Claremont Colleges consortium. Here, she has been pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies and PhD in Religion.

The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado

Jeannette’s interdisciplinary approach will contribute original insights to the fields of religion and cultural studies as she draws upon her unique art historical training she acquired in Florence, Italy. Her examinations reflect broader themes in post-colonial studies, where imported religious ideologies are adapted and reinterpreted. For the first time in literature, Jeannette will present a comprehensive understanding of how the Immaculate Conception has been represented and revered in Nicaragua.

Through a combination of fieldwork, archival study, and art historical analysis, Jeannette’s PhD research examines Immaculate Conception imagery in Nicaragua.

In 1524, the Spanish conquered the Nicarao, an indigenous people who inhabited the western coast of modern-day Nicaragua. Missionaries embedded Catholicism into the cultural fabric of Nicaragua, and evidence of this colonial history is present in artistic works and religious practices. Studying the motivations behind the Spanish missionaries’ fervent promotion of the Immaculate Conception will provide valuable insights into the colonial history of Nicaragua. The emphasis on the Virgin as the Immaculate Conception was so profound that it ultimately led to her designation as the country’s patron saint. Although the devotion of the Immaculate Conception did not originate within Nicaraguan borders, its integration into the culture has become an integral part of Nicaraguan identity. Nicaraguan artists developed a unique interpretation of the Immaculate Conception, though it bore similarities to Spanish works like Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables (1660-1665).

The contributions of the following donors is makes this research.

Acknowledgment of Donors

Luis & Alma Olivero

Richard, owner of Shred Master’s Inc.

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