Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Author: Stafford Poole
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1995
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780816516230

The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, based on the story of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego, an Indian neophyte, at the hill of Tepeyac in December 1531, is one of the most important formative religious and national symbols in the history of Mexico. In this first work ever to examine in depth every historical source of the Guadalupe apparitions, Stafford Poole traces the origins and history of the account, and in the process challenges many commonly accepted assumptions and interpretations. Poole finds that, despite common belief, the apparition account was unknown prior to 1648, when it was first published by a Mexican priest. And then, the virgin became the predominant devotion not of the Indians, but of the criollos, who found in the story a legitimization of their own national aspirations and an almost messianic sense of mission and identity. Poole finds no evidence of a contemporary association of the Virgin of Guadalupe with the Mexican goddess Tonantzin, as is frequently assumed, and he rejects the common assertion that the early missionaries consciously substituted Guadalupe for a preconquest deity.

Mexico

Mexico
Author: Don M. Coerver
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 648
Release: 2004-09-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1851095179

A concise overview of 20th- and 21st-century Mexico, this volume explores the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the world's largest Spanish-speaking country. From NAFTA to narcotics, from immigration to energy, the ties that bind our nation and Mexico are varied and strong. Mexico uncovers the real Mexico that lies behind the stereotypes of tacos, tequila, and tourist hotels. Compiled by leading scholars of Mexican history and society, its more than 150 entries examine the nation in all its fascinating contradictions and complexity. This concise yet thorough study, covering the last 100 years of Mexican history, is the only one volume, A–Z reference work available to students, scholars, and readers curious about one of the world's most diverse and dynamic societies. What was the Mexican Revolution all about? Who are the Zapatistas? And why do Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Mexicans are America's largest immigrant group and Mexico is America's favorite tourist destination. Yet we need to learn more and understand better our fascinating neighbor to the south. Mexico—comprehensive and accessible—is the best place to start.

The Church in Colonial Latin America

The Church in Colonial Latin America
Author: John Frederick Schwaller
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780842027045

The Catholic Church played a significant role in social action in colonial Latin America: a time when the Church was the most important institution next to the royal government. This collection of classic articles and modern research looks at the Church's active social and political influence.

Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Northern Mexico

Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Northern Mexico
Author: Jean-Luc E. Cartron
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2005-08-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195156722

This book describes the biodiversity and biogeography of nothern Mexico, documents the biological importance of regional ecosystems and the impacts of human land use on the conservation status of plants and wildlife. It should become the standard source document for the conservation status of species and ecosystems in this region, which is of unusual biological interest because of its high biodiversity and highly varied landscape and biological zonation.