This
blog, American Madonnas, is a place to learn, reflect and share. We’re always looking for books for our
virtual library that shed a particularly strong light on the history or
spiritual roots of Marian veneration in the Americas. Here are a couple you
might want to make note of:
La Conquistadora: The Virgin Mary
at War and Peace in the Old World and the New
Amy G.
Remensnyder
Oxford
University Press/2013
This
book covers a lot of ground but will be of particular interest to those
interested in the storied La Conquistadora of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Professor
Remensnyder, who teaches medieval history at Brown University, has made a
thorough investigation of the La Conquistadora lineage, tracing its origins to
ancient Spain, rendering the story in very accessible prose. The book includes
chapters dedicated specifically to New Mexico’s beloved Madonna.
American Madonna: Crossing
Borders with the Virgin Mary
Deirdre
Cornell
Orbis
Books/2010
Deirdre
Cornell has given us a wonderful weave of stories comprised of her own faith
journey, the extraordinary lives of Mexican immigrants in the United States,
and the events in Mexico shaping the immigrant experience. This is done through
a sensitive and compelling examination of three important Marian venerations:
The Virgen of Guadalupe, The Virgin of Juquila (in Santa Catarina Juquila, a
small mountain village in a remote part of the state of Oaxaca), and Our Lady
of Solitude (in the city of Oaxaca). Drawing from her personal experiences and
extensive research, Cornell has given us a little volume that is courageous,
poignant, and always grounded in spiritual integrity. I have savored it twice
and have started lending it out to friends. I can’t wait to get it back and
read it again.
Felipe O’Riley
