Guadalupe

"A revised and expanded edition of this seminal history of the origins of the Guadalupe apparitions"--Provided by publisher.

For more than forty years, Wayne H. McAlister has canoed the Guadalupe River, sometimes called the “top recreational river in Texas.” In Paddling the Guadalupe, he guides readers down this 400-mile river whose waters spring from the limestone of the Hill Country in Kerr County, meander across the broad Coastal Plain, and finally empty into the Gulf of Mexico at San Antonio Bay. With the expertise of a life and career immersed in nature, he introduces readers to the places, people, plants, and animals—large and small, aquatic and terrestrial—that depend on the Guadalupe for either their livelihoods or their existence. With affection and humor (and sometimes aggravation), he wryly comments on the development and human activity along the river’s course, from the headwaters west of Kerrville to its mouth near Tivoli, just east of Refugio. For the traveler, either on the river or along its course, McAlister’s knowledge of the grists, sawmills, dams, bridges, swimming holes, and reservoirs bring the history of familiar towns—Comfort, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria among them—to life. His love of the natural world, which shares the river’s bounty, will inspire and enhance anyone’s experience of the Guadalupe, from the serious canoer to the family vacationer. Photographs taken over many years provide an intimate perspective, and sixteen maps help orient those interested in getting to know the river on a more personal basis. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

"In this study of complex beliefs in which Aztec religion and Spanish Catholicism blend, Lafaye demonstrates the importance of religious beliefs in the formation of the Mexican nation. Far from being of only parochial interest, this volume is of great value to any historian of religions concerned with problems of nativism and syncretism."—Franke J. Neumann, Religious Studies Review

These tales of the mountains, mines, and characters of the Guadalupe range were collected over many years by the author who has explored the area since he was a boy.

Nearly a decade after Spain's conquest of Mexico, the future of Christianity on the American continent was very much in doubt. Confronted with a hostile colonial government and Native Americans wary of conversion, the newly-appointed bishop-elect of Mexico wrote to tell the King of Spain that, unless there was a miracle, the continent would be lost. Between December 9 and December 12, 1531, that miracle happened, and it forever changed the future of the continent. It was then that the Virgin Mary famously appeared to a Native American Christian convert on a hilltop outside of what is now Mexico City. The image she left imprinted on his cloak or tilma has puzzled scientists for centuries, and yet Our Lady of Gudalupe’s place in history is profound. A continent that just months before the apparitions seemed completely lost to Christianity suddenly and inexplicably embraced it by the millions. Our Lady of Guadalupe's message of love replaced the institutionalized violence of the Aztec culture, and built a bridge between two worlds — the old and the new — that were just ten years earlier engaged in brutal warfare. Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to inspire the devotion of millions. From Canada to Argentina — and even beyond the Americas — one finds great devotion to her, and great appreciation for her message of love, unity and hope. Today reproductions of the Virgin’s miraculous image can be seen throughout North and South America, in churches and homes, on billboards and even clothing apparel. Her shrine in Mexico City, where the miraculous image is housed to this day, is one of the most visited in the world. In Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love, Anderson & Chavez trace the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the sixteenth century to the present discuss of how her message was and continues to be an important catalyst for religious and cultural transformation. Looking at Our Lady of Guadalupe as a model of the Church and Juan Diego as a model for all Christians who seek to answer Christ's call of conversion and witness, the authors explore the changing face of the Catholic Church in North, Central, and South America, and they show how Our Lady of Guadalupe's message was not only historically significant, but how it speaks to contemporary issues confronting the American continents and people today.

When looking at historical photographs of Guadalupe residents, one sees the faces that represent the area's unique and diverse past. Originally inhabited by the indigenous Chumash and mapped by Spanish explorers, Guadalupe was first named in the 1840s Mexican land grant honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, the title given to the Virgin Mary. Through the years, waves of immigrants made their way to Guadalupe to take advantage of the fertile soil and unique geographic features, the most prominent of which are the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, which contain some of the tallest sand dunes on Earth and have been visited by locals and tourists for the last century and a half. It was in the 1920s that Hollywood discovered them and began introducing distant audiences to the region through the cinematic tradition that continues today.

Originally named Walnut Springs in 1838, Seguin was renamed one year later after Mexican Texas Revolution hero Juan N. Seguin, who fought at the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. The town of Seguin and the surrounding area have always been a crossroads for commerce--from the southeast Gulf Coast region throughout the rest of the state. Seguin's Texas Rangers initially provided security for frontier settlers, and many of the area's residents served in the U.S. military. From Austin to the U.S. Congress, Seguin's citizens have also served their country as representatives, state senators, and as governor. In the 21st century, Seguin continues to redefine itself as a leading business and manufacturing community while still retaining its agricultural roots. Seguin and Guadalupe County's achievements in education have been recognized at the national level for Texas Lutheran University, and by the state for its public school system. Longtime residents of Seguin and Guadalupe County remember their heritage with pride as they welcome newcomers to the area.