Description
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most revered religious figure in Mexican Catholicism. Devotion to Guadalupe among Mexicans and Mexican Americans has evolved for nearly five centuries into a deeply rooted, multifaceted tradition. Here, religion scholar Timothy Matovina offers a thorough study of this tradition as it has been lived out by the parishioners of San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas. He shows how the devotion to Guadalupe sustained this congregation through times of political turmoil, war and peace, and ecclesiastical and social changes over San Antonio's long history, from an agricultural settlement on the northern edge of New Spain to a dynamic U.S. metropolis.
Engaging recent scholarly analysis of ritual studies, lived religion, Latino theology and history, transnationalism, and ethnicity, Guadalupe and Her Faithful shows how religious traditions shape and are shaped by a faith community's shifting contexts and power dynamics. This fascinating account reveals the potential force—and the potential limitations—of devotion in people's lives and religious imagination.Reviews
"Matovina's work is . . . breath-taking."—Jose Angel Gutierrez, Journal of American Studies Associaton of Texas"Matovina has produced a solid piece of history that will be of interest to and enjoyed by professional historians and laypeople alike."—Anthony Quiroz, Journal of American History "A well-written and insightful evaluation."—Kathleen Garces-Foley, Journal of American Ethnic History "Gaudalupe . . . is shown in various lights — in all her glory, and at times her mystery is even slightly unveiled."—Georgie Ann Weatherby, Catholic Studies "A focused, well-researched, and generous book that captures well the various ways that Guadalupan devotion has been expressed and transformed over time . . . This study undoubtedly represents a high point in this ongoing endeavor."—Chris Tirres, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is clearly a substantial work of scholarship and a major contribution to Mexican American religious history . . . It deserves wide readership and acclaim."—Roberto R. Treviño, American Historical Review "Beautifully written to evoke the very practices being studied, Matovina's painstaking work on communal identity provides evidence that group traditions and identities are "made, not born.""—Paula Kane, Religion and American Culture "Guadalupe and Her Faithful is one of those rare texts that bridge the academy, the church, pastors, grassroots devotees, and a wider public . . . This book increases appreciation and knowledge of the growing Latino population and its religious traditions."—Virgilio Elizondo, Spiritus: Journal of Christian Spirituality "Timothy Matovina's Guadalupe and her Faithful is a significant contribution to Guadalupan scholarship . . . Matovina taps into the corazón of the matter with his coverage of the religious and popular aspects of the devotion to La Virgen de Guadalupe."—Tey Marianna Nunn, Pacific Historical Review "Very engaging story . . . An excellent contribution to Mexican American history and Latino spirituality."—Gilberto M. Hinojosa, Southwestern Historical Quarterly "This study beautifully combines history, theology, and sociology in looking at Catholic worship in the Latino religious community surrounding San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas."—Linda B. Hall, Americas "In Guadalupe and Her Faithful we have a well researched and readable examination of a vibrant faith community."—Jesús F. de la Teja, Catholic Historical Review "A book that everyone . . . must read. It should be available in libraries across the nation, because any research on the Guadalupan legacy among Catholics, Hispanic or otherwise, would be incomplete without reference being made to Matovina's work."—Patrick Foley, Hispanic American Historical Review "A well-researched and value addition to the literatures on popular Mexican and Chicano religiosities."—Matthew Butler , Ecclesiastical History
Author Information
Timothy Matovina is associate professor of theology and the William and Anna Jean Cushwa Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame.
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Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality