Catholics Along the Rio Grande

Images of America: New Mexico

by John Taylor, Richard Melzer

In 1540, Francisco Coronado led a band of soldiers, treasure-seekers, and Franciscan priests and friars into New Mexico, changing the lives of the Native Americans forever. In 1680, less than 100 years after the first Spanish colony imposed disease, serfdom, and zealous religious oversight on the indigenous peoples, the Pueblos rose up, forcing the Spaniards out. The uprising, known as the Pueblo Revolt, lasted for 12 years, but Catholic influence was reinvigorated following the 1692 Diego De Vargas reconquest. Over the next century, the Franciscans were gradually relegated to outlying pueblos while diocesan priests from Mexico and later from France and the United States dominated the Church's expansion in the Rio Grande Valley. Today Catholicism remains strong and vibrant in New Mexico, learning the lessons and building on the foundations from the past 500 years.

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2011

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for John ^8 Taylor.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book last year to add to my knowledge of the Colcha embroidery tradition of New Mexico. It fills in some background for an Australian who has very little detailed knowledge of this part of the world beyond the embroidery tradition I have researched.

The book works it’s way through seven parishes, the mountain area and lost parishes. Each parish supports a number of Mission churches. While amply illustrated with photos from various times, there is no explanation of what constituted a Mission church, but it seems to have elements in common with the contemporary concept of church planting. Most of the Mission churches appear to have been set up to support Hispanic settlers - in outlying villages or haciendas. A few recorded here served Pueblos, at least for a short period of time.

Most of the churches have been rebuilt and repaired several times - usually because of flood or storm damage. The architectural styles are limited, but identifiable. In recent years most churches have settled back into a older, local adobe design.

This has added a useful dimension to my understanding of New Mexico history and the churches in which colcha embriodery played such a part.

[Brace1737 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief yet quite useful pictorial introduction to the history of Catholic parishes in central New Mexico
from Spanish colonial times to the present.