"The predominance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexican history and religion tends to overshadow the existence of other forms of Marian devotion in Mexico. Both before and after the Guadalupe event there has been a rich variety in the devotion to the one who is regarded as both the Mother of God and the Mother of the Mexican people.

Louise Burkhart has written a penetrating study of Marian devotion as it was preached to the natives of New Spain in their own tongue, Nahuatl or the Aztec language, prior to 1648, the year in which the story of Guadalupe first became known.".

"The author demonstrates the continuity of the missionaries' preaching with Medieval European devotion, together with the adaptations that they made to the native language and outlook. At the same time she shows the convergence between Spanish and indigenous popular religion. This work provides an insight into the everyday religion of the natives as well as a deep understanding of the nature of Marian devotion.

Professor Burkhart, the author of The Slippery Earth, a pioneering examination of European-native theological dialogue in the sixteenth century, explains clearly the differences between the Spanish and Nahua worlds and the missionaries' attempts to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between diverse peoples and religious outlooks.

Finally, the author goes beyond the written word to show how devotion to the Virgin Mary was preached through art and iconography and how these related to the written word."--BOOK JACKET.