Our Lady of Guadalupe : Faith and Empowerment among Mexican-American Women

"Rodriguez examines the holy image in a scholarly and informative way. Her six years of research lead her to assert that Mexican-American women learn from Guadalupe about themselves as well as something about who God is. This is a study of dignity and humanity, of true power." class="source">-- National Catholic Reporter ...an original approach to Our Lady of Guadalupe and her importance for Mexican-American women. In reporting what she has learned in her six-year journey toward understanding Guadalupe and Mexican-American women, Jeanette Rodriguez challenges prevailing readings of both. Throughout, there shines the promise of a passionate, vital, feminine star in the theological firmament." --Mary Aquin O'Neill, RSM, Mount Saint Agnes Theological Center for Women Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most important religious symbol of Mexico and one of the most powerful female icons of Mexican culture. In this study, based on research done among second-generation Mexican-American women, Rodriguez examines the role the symbol of Guadalupe has played in the development of these women. She goes beyond the thematic and religious implications of the symbol to delve into its relevance to their daily lives. Rodriguez's study offers an important reinterpretation of one of the New World's most potent symbols. Her conclusions dispute the common perception that Guadalupe is a model of servility and suffering. Rather, she reinterprets the symbol of Guadalupe as a liberating and empowering catalyst for Mexican-American women.