Padre Martinez and Bishop Lamy - Softcover

De Aragon, Ray John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0932906001 ISBN 13: 9780932906007

Publisher: Pan Amer Pub, 1978

Synopsis

Willa Cather, in the historical novel Death Comes for the Archbishop, depicts Padre Antonio Jose Martinez as an unscrupulous backward rogue priest and Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy as a civilizing, heroic and monumental figure. Countering Cather's assessment and portrayal of these two larger-than-life Southwestern folk heroes, Ray John de Aragon attempts to set the historical record straight. Padre Martinez (1793-1867) is viewed as a genius who was ahead of his time. Recognized as a champion of the poor, defender of the Native Americans and proponent of human rights, it was inevitable that he would clash with Lamy. Bishop Lamy (1814-1888), who also had his followers, emerges as someone whose understanding of native New Mexican cultures was lacking, but one whose intentions were to do good as a missionary in a strange and foreign land.

About this title

About the Author:

Ray John de Aragon has written extensively on the history of New Mexico and the traditions and culture of northern New Mexico. He is recognized as a master santero with works in numerous private and public collections. His efforts at promoting and preserving the Spanish Colonial heritage of the American Southwest have gained regional and national attention. He has been featured in many publications and a PBS documentary. He holds a Masters in American Studies with emphasis on the Hispanic culture, heritage, history and traditions of New Mexico, and he has lectured and taught in this area at the university level. He is also the author of The Legend of La Llorona and The Penitentes of New Mexico, as well as the translator into English of The Recollections of the Life of the Priest Don Antonio Jose Martinez, all published by Sunstone Press.

Cover Illustration by Rosa Maria Calles.

Review:

''The relationship between Padre Martinez and Bishop Lamy has long been recognized as a contentious one. Yet both men were important in the development of the Southwest. Each had the idea of improving the lives of people, and they each had a vision of what they could and should do for the people they served. Bishop Lamy, while he had the best intentions, was hampered by a lack of understanding of the native cultures of the area. Padre Martinez was a champion of the poor, an early advocate of literacy and human rights. He would have been an activist in the 1950s. He wanted to see things done and done now. Lamy followed regulations and church rules. It was inevitable that the two men would not be able to see eye to eye. De Aragon puts the story in its true historical perspective. As a historian and a master santero, his interest is in the preservation of the Spanish Colonial heritage of the American Southwest.'' ----Marcia Muth, ''Book Chat,'' Enchantment

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan Amer Pub
• Publication date: 1978
• ISBN 10: 0932906001
• ISBN 13: 9780932906007
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 141