Mexican Phoenix
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition across Five Centuries

$39.99 (G)

Author: D. A. Brading, University of Cambridge

Date Published: January 2003
availability: Available
format: Paperback
isbn: 9780521531603

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Description

In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe a patron saint of the Americas. According to oral tradition and historical documents, in 1531 Mary appeared as a beautiful Aztec princess to Juan Diego, a poor Indian. Speaking to him in his own language, she asked him to tell the bishop her name was La Virgen de Guadalupe and that she wanted a church built on the mountain. During a second visit, the image of the Virgin miraculously appeared on his cape. Through the centuries, the enigmatic power of this image has aroused such fervent devotion in Mexico that it has served as the banner of the rebellion against Spanish rule and, despite skepticism and anticlericalism, still remains a potent symbol of the modern nation. In Mexican Phoenix, David Brading traces the intellectual origins, the sudden efflorescence, and the theology that has sustained the tradition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Brading also documents the interaction of religion and patriotism, and describes how the image has served as a banner both for independence and for the Church in its struggle against the Liberal and revolutionary state. David Brading is Professor of Mexican History at the University of Cambridge. He began his career at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Yale University. He is also the author of Church and State in Bourbon Mexico (Cambridge, 1994), The First America (Cambridge, 1991), and Miners and Merchants in Bourban Mexico, 1730-1810 (Cambridge, 1971). Hb ISBN (2001): 0-521-80131-1
- Vivid account of the most important religious icon in Latin America, on a par with the shrines at Lourdes or Fatima in Europe
- The first full, illustrated account of the tradition of Guadalupe from the sixteenth century to the present day
- Emphasises the interaction between Mexican patriotism and religion, and looks at ways in which the image of the Virgin's cloak has been used for non-religious purposes
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Reviews & endorsements
"This brilliant and deeply researched book looks back at the interpretation of the image and the various roles it has served throughout Mexican history...Brading has provided a remarkable insight into the continuities surrounding religious practice, doctrine, and ceremony in Latin America." Foreign Affairs
"a supremely important book and one that is due to take its place among the standard treatments of Guadalupe. [Brading] casts his net over a wider field, and as a result his book is more comprehensive than other recent works. Also [Brading] deals skillfully with theological and religious matters, terra incognita for most contemporary historians." Catholic Historical Review
"Mexican Phoenix is incomparably the most complete and reliable study to have appeared on the Guadalupe tradition hitherto." Religion
"This is a work of impressive scholarship.... It makes a valuable contribution to the study of modern Mexican culture and religion.... This is a very valuable and highly recommended book." Catholic Library World
"This is undoubtedly the best work yet to appear on the socio-historical meaning of the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The excellence of the writing style, the academic skill of the author to summarize and interpret previous scholarship, and even the quality of the paper used along with judiciously selected illustrations all serve to make this a superior publication. Catholic Books Review
"Brading tells the story engagingly... the book is...a useful reference work on the history of this important devotion." Louise M. Burkhart, The Americas
"...Brading provides a comprehensive analysis of the development of the Guadalupe cult... Mexican Phoenix is an important reference for anyone who wants to understand the Guadalupe cult within the context of Mexican history." Verónica A. Gutiérrez, Crisis Magazine
"Exquisite." National Catholic Reporter
"Brading's treatment is informative, original and interestingly laid out. His book has a compellingly-realized dramatic structure which makes the reader want to know 'how the story comes out', while the discussion of abstruse points in theology and intellectual history is enlivened by gripping and often sympathetic biographical portraits, by deep readings of canonical texts, and by a mastery of comtemporary debates. It makes a vital contribution to the study of modern Mexican culture and religious life." Eric Van Young, University of California
"This is undoubtedly the best work yet to appear on the socio-historical meaning of the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The excellence of the writing style, the academic skill of the author to summarize and interpret previous scholarship, and even the quality of the paper used along with judiciously selected illustrations all serve to make this a superior publication. Catholic Books Review
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Product details
- Date Published: January 2003
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521531603
- length: 464 pages
- dimensions: 248 x 176 x 25 mm
- weight: 1.039kg
- contains: 36 b/w illus. 1 colour illus.
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
List of illustrations
Preface
Introduction
1. Image and typology
2. Myth and history
3. The woman of the Apocalypse
4. Indian seer
5. Presence and tradition
6. Patron of Mexico
7. Divine idea
8. Heavenly painting
9. Myth and scepticism
10. The last resort
11. History and infallibility
12. The coronation
13. Juan Diego
14. Nican mopohua
15. Epiphany and revelation
Notes
Bibliography
Index.
Look Inside
Author
D. A. Brading, University of Cambridge
David Brading is Professor of Mexican History, University of Cambridge.