Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love (Hardcover)

by Carl Anderson

After Spain conquered Mexico, Christianity began to grow in the Americas. Due to the local customs, the Bishop was having much difficulty in promoting conversions. He informed the King of Spain of the situation and declared that a Miracle was much needed.

The Miracle happened.

In 1531, a vision of the Virgin Mary, appeared to Juan Diego, a Native American Christian on a hilltop outside what is now Mexico City. She left an image on the young Mexicon's cloak.

Today, she is one of the most powerful female icons in the Catholic Church, recognized by the Vatican as "Patroness of the Americas." The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which displays a cloak bearing her miraculous image, is the second most visited Roman Catholic shrine in the world.

Our Lady of Guadalupe has played a central role in the growth of Catholicism in Mexico and throughout the Western Hemisphere. In Our Lady of Guadalupe, Anderson and Chavez trace her history as a religious and cultural symbol from the sixteenth century to the present. Looking at the changing face of the Catholic Church in North, South, and Central America, they show how Our Lady of Guadalupe has become a significant figure within the Churches a potent symbol of peace and unity to all peoples of the Americas.