Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego: The Historical Evidence

by Eduardo Chávez

Overview

In Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego, Eduardo Chávez presents the most important points of the Great Guadalupan Event: the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, a recently converted indigenous man, in Mexico. Through a utilization of the numerous historical documents and investigations of this event, Chávez details the reality of what occurred in the cold winter of 1531.

As described by Pope John Paul II, "The Guadalupan Event is the perfectly inculturated Evangelization model." Chávez's historical analysis not only represents strong scholarship, but also draws the reader closer to the spiritual power of the events. As the newest contribution to the series Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology, this work is of course ideal for use in Latino Studies, but also appeals to wider audience more curious about the Guadalupan event and its meaning for contemporary Christianity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461640448
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/28/2006
Series:	Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	212
File size:	633 KB

About the Author

Rev. Eduardo Chávez is the Rector of the Pontifical College of Mexico in Mexico City and a renowned historian of religion in Mexico.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Acknowledgments
Part 2 Abbreviations
Part 3 Presentation of the Cardinal D. Norberto Rivera, Archbishop Primate of Mexico
Part 4 Prologue
Chapter 5 Holy Mary of Guadalupe and Juan Diego: History or Myth?
Chapter 6 The Miracle of the Guadalupe Virgin and Juan Diego
Chapter 7 The Meaning of the Guadalupan Event
Chapter 8 The Consequences of Such an Encounter
Part 9 Commentaries
Part 10 Introduction: Juan Diego, Messenger of Hope
Part 11 Chapter 1
Chapter 12 During the Trauma of the Conquest and the Death of Their Idols, the First Steps of Evangelization Were Being Given
Chapter 13 The Franciscan Friars before the Antitestimony of Their Catholic Countrymen
Part 14 Chapter 2
Chapter 15 The Star of Evangelization Appears in the Darkness
Chapter 16 Juan Diego's Tilma: A Sign, a Message, a New Life
Part 17 Chapter 3
Chapter 18 Juan Diego, Messenger and Missionary of the Love of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Chapter 19 Sworn Testimonies in Informaciones Jurídicas de 1666
Chapter 20 Some of the Sources that Converge with Informaciones Jurídicas de 1666
Part 21 Chapter 4
Chapter 22 Some Characteristics of the Indigenous Education which Draw Us Closer to Juan Diego
Part 23 Chapter 5
Chapter 24 A Conversion from the Bottom of Their Heart
Part 25 Chapter 6
Chapter 26 A Report which Sheds Light on the Truth about the Great Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Part 27 Chapter 7
Chapter 28 The People Marked in Their History the Guadalupan Event
Part 29 Chapter 8
Chapter 30 The Guadalupan Event Spreads Rapidly
Part 31 Chapter 9
Chapter 32 The Holiness of Juan Diego
Part 33 Chapter 10
Chapter 34 A Commitment to the Whole World
Part 35 Chapter 11
Chapter 36 Pope John Paul II Canonizes Saint Juan Diego
Part 37 Historical Sources and Bibliography
Part 38 Index
Part 39 About the Author and Contributors

Editorial Reviews

Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego have inspired and empowered generations of Mexicans on both sides of the border. Eduardo Chávez's well-documented and highly readable account of the Guadalupe event is a significant contribution to both Mexican and Chicano Studies.

Mario T. Garcia

The historical evidence of the Guadalupan Event transforms the world because it appeals to the heart. However, appealing to the heart does not imply neglecting fact or reality. The history of this event and of its cultural effects, as related in this book, illustrate the marvelous encounter between the Lady and Juan Diego in both realistic dialogue and in mystical reflection. Such a book may be an invitation to go back to the roots of modern civilization in the Americas.

Raymond Brodeur

Those who seek an insider view into the canonization of St. Juan Diego will find this book illuminating. For those interested in the ever evolving fascination with Juan Diego and the Guadalupe event, it is indispensable.

Timothy Matovina

Father Eduardo Chávez is well known and respected throughout Mexico and the Vatican for his critical and relentless research on our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. But Our Lady of Guadalupe is not just for Mexico. As John Paul II stated in Ecclesia en America, she is the mother of all America. I am personally delighted that this all important work will now be available to English-language audiences. This critical and comprehensive study is a rare combination of scientific rigor and inspirational wisdom. It allows the reader to enter into the America of the 1500's and experience not only the apparitions of Our Lady, but also the life and surroundings of her messenger, Juan Diego. This book makes a great contribution to the scholarly study of this all-important devotion that marks the spiritual beginning of our New World.

Most Reverend José Gomez

This book is a very readable compilation of the scientific evidence and rigorous official investigation. If there was any doubt about the historicity of the event or about the identity of St. Juan Diego, this book clarifies their authenticity. The numerous documents cited by Dr. Chávez in this book substantiate the facts and offer a "taste" of indigenous culture, of religious controversy, of Church history in Mexico, and of Mary's and Juan Diego's mission to spread the good news: Jesus is our Savior. The English translation of Dr. Chávez's work is definitely a valuable addition to all the sources that we have on this important historical, cultural, and religious event.

Sr. Rosa Maria Icaza