Guadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy: How God Prepared the Americas for Conversion Before the Lady Appeared

by Joseph Julián González

At the beginning of the famous encounter between St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe, as Diego ascends Tepeyac Hill, he is suddenly surrounded by beautiful music and wondrous sights, whereupon he asks himself, “Where am I? Could this be the place that our ancestors spoke of ― the Flower World Paradise in the land of heaven?” With these words, St. Juan Diego ties his encounter to an ancient indigenous belief system ― a spiritual floral domain named “Flower World.” This startling history was recently uncovered by anthropologists and archaeologists. In referencing this flowery paradise, Juan Diego opens up a fascinating link dating back to the very cradle of American civilization. Flower World permeated Pan-Mesoamerican culture from its inception, accentuating ancient American man’s yearning for a paradisiacal afterlife saturated with music and beauty. This is expressively reflected in flower song poems of the era, whose primary metaphor is that of a singer calling down flowers from heaven to gather in his tilma so he might share them with lords and princes. This exciting new interpretation of American prehistory lays the groundwork for a prophetical reinterpretation of the Guadalupe narrative. Joseph and Monique Gonzalez shed new light on the astounding events of Our Lady’s appearance at Tepeyac in December 1531. They present a fresh explanation of the roughly ten million indigenous conversions that occurred after the Blessed Mother’s appearance ― considered the single largest Christian conversion event in history. Painstakingly tracing the latest archaeological interpretations of Flower World along with the philosophical ramifications behind the flower songs, the Gonzalezes make a compelling case for the Guadalupe apparition’s being the culmination of thousands of years of evangelical preparation of the people of the Americas. In these enthralling pages, you will This hero’s journey through the centuries is a love letter to the modern world that unveils in a stunning way the reality of God’s salvific plan for the Americas, then and now.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, History, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2023

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a thorough explanation of the profundity of the Guadalupe event and how it would have been received by the Nahua (native) people. There are so many parts of the story that didn't make sense to me regarding their importance that now are clear. It's so beautiful how every little detail was taken care of by Our Lady; she sought out the Nahua by gently showing them how what they have been longing for for centuries has been perfectly fulfilled by her Son.

This book is the perfect marriage of history, a cultural study, and religious devotion. It was a pleasure to read and I am grateful for the authors' thoroughness in their study and careful explanation.

[Καιρὸς · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful retelling of the Guadalupe story that shows how our lady of Guadalupe fulfilled native american prophecies. This book would also serve as a great introduction to perrenialism for Catholics. I was surprised to see a book by a mainstream Catholic publishing house cite mircea eliade.

[Peter]

A fantastic study of the cultural background to the apparitions in 1531. The authors give a survey of pre-hispanic literary, poetic, philosophical, and religious ideas that connect with the story of Juan Diego and make it more intelligible. They make a case that such cultural background served as a praeparatio evangelica. If you're only ever going to read one book about Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), this should be it.

My one critique is that the relevance of the monomyth and contemporary pop culture literary comparisons was not sufficiently justified. Without the sections reading the Nican Mopohua through that lens, the book could have been about 80 pages shorter without losing much substance.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for the content, three stars for the writing.

[Greg Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and revealing historical revelation of Our Lady of Guadalupe

What a feeling of the truly miraculous event that Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed. A Catholic conversion of a people that the friars considered pagan, and yet they came by tens of thousands to be baptized. This book overwhelmed me in considering God's love for people who are searching for Truth, Beauty and Goodness.

[Sofia Briones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to finish this book today on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Very detailed read, learned a lot about Nahuatl culture and its relation with Christian doctrine.

[Jose Luis]

"God is in control of history."

This book offers a compelling look into the significance of the Guadalupe Event, a term used to describe both the apparition of Our Lady and the subsequent mass conversions to Catholicism by the indigenous people of Central Mexico. It explains why these conversions were so unexpected, and also how the flower-song recorded in the "Nican Mopohua" - the earliest written account of the apparition - played a role in the conversions.

I enjoyed learning about Mesoamerican history and the religious and philosophical beliefs of the Nahua culture. I also had fun trying to pronounce all the Nahuatl words. Some of these are a mouthful!

The prose was generally repetitive which quickly became a hassle, but the research and overall content were excellent. I did skip some of the sections that tried to fit the hero's quest into the "Nican Mopohua" and "Cuicapeuhcayotl." This was not of interest to me, and is (in my opinion) a more secular interpretation of the story that weakens the thesis. There may be some value there for some readers who aren't familiar with the hero's quest, and it may make the Guadalupe story more compelling to the non-believer... or not since it does feel like a nearly syncretistic/anthropological analysis.

Nevertheless, I acknowledge that the authors make a point to emphasize that the Guadalupe Event is not an example of religious syncretism.

Belief in particular Marian apparitions is not required to remain in communion with the Catholic Church. Whether you believe in the Guadalupe apparition or not, this book will help you understand and appreciate its significance in the history of the Church in the Americas.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a devotee of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego, then you must have this book. It puts the Apparition in its proper historical context (the backdrop of Mesoamerican history.)

It’s accessible and you gain a deeper understanding of how and why so many indigenous people converted. In short, it fills in the details missed by other books on Guadalupe (not their fault; the Flower World Paradise song-poems have only recently been understood.)

The authors are not professional historians or anthropologists and this brings them down to our level; they worked hard to understand and in so doing they convey this understanding quite well to us. It is very well written and in clear language. They carefully walk us through unfamiliar cultural and anthropological concepts so that we can adequately grasp them.

You come away with an appreciation and awe for God’s Divine Providence in planting seeds of truth in pagan culture that enabled them to recognize the Gospel as their own, and not some foreign Semitic or European import. Without any syncretism, the Gospel of Christ Jesus is proven to be universal as it incorporates indigenous signs and symbols that point to Jesus as the One True God and Our Lady as His Mother.

[Jose Legaspi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Symphonic Treatment of the Guadalupe Event.

A composer and a singer take the Mexica Flower World religious beliefs in parallel to the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Rhythmically, the analogy cannot be more perfect. Albeit, there are missing points which need to be discussed such as the relevancy (or not) of Tonatzin, answers are found as emphatic repetitions of arguments or conclusions are made — which, by the way, I appreciate, since the concepts may not be as simple to be understood unless underscored again and again. I recommend this book for those whose intellectual and faith based interest is insatiable.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting! Glad I read before visiting the basilica