Folk Saints of the Borderlands: Victims, Bandits, and Healers - Softcover

Griffith, James S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1887896511 ISBN 13: 9781887896511

Publisher: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2003

Synopsis

This extraordinary exploration of the frontiers of spirituality is the latest work of celebrated Southwestern folklorist James S. "Big Jim" Griffith.

In Folk Saints of the Borderlands: Victims, Bandits, and Healers, Griffith introduces us to some unforgettable saints-in-the-making (or not). Meet:
     ·Juan Soldado ("John Soldier") of Tijuana, miracle worker and unofficial patron saint and protector of illegal immigrants. But was the real Juan a martyr or a murderer?
     ·Jesus Malverde, stagecoach robber and Robin Hood figure of nineteenth-century Sinaloa, Mexico, who has become the narcosanto, or saint of the drug dealers.
     ·Pancho Villa, bandit, revolutionary general, and invader of New Mexico. Since his assassination in 1923 he has gained a reputation as a spiritual helper, but women who channel his spirit are advised to beware. Even in the afterlife he's a "groper."
     ·El Nino Fidencio, a childlike, playful figure who loved to sing, dance and dress up, began his career as a healer at the age of eight

The New York Times praises Griffith: "He writes of the beliefs and customs of people far different from himself with a gentle tone and spirit of restraint and simple decency." 24 black-and-white photographs and illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

James S. Griffith is an authority on Southwestern and Mexican folklore and folk art. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Griffith has written many books, including "Saints of the Southwest" and "Folk Saints of the Borderlands: Victims, Bandits and Healers". Francisco Javier Manzo Taylor is a scholar and attorney in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He has studied religious art and culture for more than 30 years.

Review:

"He writes of the beliefs and customs of people far different from himself with a gentle tone and spirit of restraint and simple decency."

About this edition

• Publisher: Rio Nuevo Publishers
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1887896511
• ISBN 13: 9781887896511
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 172