Before Guadalupe: The Virgin Mary in Early Colonial Nahuatl Literature (review)

Burkhart in this wonderful collection presents many of the important pieces of Marian devotional literature in Nahuatl from the early colonial period. The Nahuatl literature devoted to the Virgin Mary is diverse and not completely overwhelmed by the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In fact, prior to 1634 the Virgin of Tepeyac is absent from the literature. It is a unique collection and one that is extremely important in analyzing the tools used by the missionaries to develop the cult of the Virgin in New Spain. Burkhart has chosen pieces from several different genres. Nevertheless, sermons and parts of sermons predominate since they also reflect a large percentage of the total devotional literature in Nahuatl. Following that are pieces of psalms and canticles, and selections from confessional guides and prayers. Burkhart introduces each section with a technical discussion of the type of material included, and elucidations of the nuances both of Christian thought regarding the topic along with insights into the Nahuatl. Each piece also has an introduction which discuses the selection itself as well as particular discussions of Nahuatl vocabulary and the use of special terms.

Rather than merely follow the canonical year, or to present the pieces in chronological order according to when they were written, Burkhart follows the life of the Virgin. Within the Christian devotional calendar there are several feasts devoted to the Virgin. These begin with her conception. The conception of the Virgin was an important festival in the sixteenth century because the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was gaining support within the Catholic Church. The doctrine, now dogma, holds that although Mary was conceived by her parents in the normal fashion, in that act there was no sin. Consequently Mary was freed from the burden of carrying original sin. One can imagine the difficulty of conveying this information to the newly converted Nahua.

The next group of selections deals with the birth, childhood, and marriage of Mary. As in other sections, Burkhart devotes some effort to explaining the sources of many of the stories that eventually appeared in Nahuatl. Some of these come from the Bible, but most come either from apocryphal biblical texts, early Christian works, or devotional pieces written in the Middle Ages. Key elements of these selections from the life of Mary are her dedication to God, her vow of celibacy, and the competition of suitors for her hand. Each of these had features that could be emphasized in the Nahuatl to correspond with established Nahua customs and metaphors.

The Annunciation and Visitation were the next events in the life of Mary: when the archangel Gabriel informed Mary of her selection by God to carry his child and the subsequent trip by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth who was already pregnant with John the Baptist. The Nahuatl selections are very compelling in that the fetuses of the two figures take on fully human characteristics. Following this comes the birth of the Christ Child. Christmas is not in itself a Marian festival, but because of the important role that Mary played in the event there was a significant literature focusing on her. Closing this period is the feast of the Purification. In accordance with Jewish custom the young mother presented herself and her child at the Temple to be ritually purified from the contamination of parturition. Several canticles associated with this celebration were translated into Nahuatl for use in the conversion. Nahua practice also provided some bases of similarity.

The next section deals with the sorrow of Mary over the Crucifixion of her son. While the celebrations of Good Friday and Easter focus on the passion of Christ, Mary is an important participant and witness to the events. Mary survived her son, but the literature does...