Mary, Mother and Warrior: The Virgin in Spain and the Americas (review)

It is one of the great phenomena of history that what may have been an unlettered adolescent girl in a backwater of the Roman Empire was transformed into one of the major religious forces of the last two millennia. The Virgin Mary is mentioned with relative infrequency in the New Testament (and never by name in the gospel of John), but her influence remains undiminished. A recent landmark statement by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches reaffirms her importance in the Christian tradition and even a major news magazine recently featured her as a cover story. Devotion to the Virgin Mary was particularly strong in Spain from the Middle Ages on, and that devotion was carried over to Castile's possessions in the New World. Although there have been many studies of individual devotions, such as Remedios and both the Mexican and Spanish Guadalupes, there has never been an in-depth history of Marian devotion in the Spanish-speaking New World. Linda Hall has now filled that gap. The words "mother" and "warrior" in the book's title highlight Mary's twofold function throughout history, while the term "Americas" is slightly misleading since Hall does not deal with Brazil because of the different culture and background.

Hall begins by dealing with images in general and those of the Virgin in particular, concluding that "[f]ar from being the meek and mild figure depicted to me in my Protestant youth, she is often seen by [her devotees] as active, effective, legitimizing" (p. 16). The story, however, really begins with the "Spanish Reverence" for the Virgin (Chapter 2). In this, she gives a history of Marian devotion that begins with the early Church and goes through the reconquista. Only Saint James (Santiago) came to rival Mary in popularity or effectiveness. Both devotions, with their militant aspects, were carried to the New World by explorers and conquistadores. There is a detailed description of Columbus' and Cortés' marian devotion. In dealing with post-conquest marian devotion in Mexico, Hall makes some important observations on the Virgin's similarity to and differences from native goddesses, especially that Mary was probably more appealing. "After all, rather than being terrifying or remote, she was near, tender, human, often portrayed holding her 'precious son,' the infant Christ in her arms" (p. 82). "The pre-Columbian sacred feminine in Mexico was represented by a multiplicity of goddesses, dual in nature—both nurturing and frightening—depicted either as human with accompanying splendid regalia or as frighteningly animal-like" (p. 85). Hall goes on to consider the Virgin in Mexican images and fiesta, as a national symbol in Bolivia, Mexico, and Argentina, and devotion to her in the Andes. She also compares Evita and María in Argentina.

In a brief review it is difficult to do justice to the richness of this book and its insights. It is well researched, well written, and enhanced by illustrations that truly support the text. It may be rather heavy reading for undergraduates, but certainly graduate students and anyone interested in the religious, social, and intellectual history of the Spanish-speaking world will find it to be of great value.