Our Lady of Guadalupe: and the Conquest of Darkness

by Warren H. Carroll

With gripping detail and firsthand accounts that read like a novel, renowned author Warren Carroll unveils the events that led up to the divine intervention in which Our Lady of Guadalupe was sent to an Aztec, known now as St. Juan Diego. Here is the untold story of the faith and valor of the Spanish as they encounter an early Aztec culture marked by an immorality and an idolatry of epic proportions, along with the hardships they endured in the face of unspeakable cruelty.

You will see the hard reality of Aztec culture — the homage that terrorized souls would pay to the satanic rulers who oppressed them and the widespread practice of human sacrifice in worship of chilling gods with diabolical titles. All this is juxtaposed against a Catholic culture propagated by the indomitable Queen Isabel of Spain.

In these gripping pages, you will

Leaders such as Hernan Cortes, in his own words, and what inspired him to never sound retreatA little-known but influential woman named Lady MarinaWhether it was just for the Spanish to reclaim MexicoAstonishing conversions and the multitudinous Baptisms that occurredHow the Spanish would charge the Aztec warriors despite the 10,000-to-1 odds against them!Medical evidence of Our Lady of Guadalupe's world-changing apparitionThe exacting researcher Carroll recounts the astonishing speed with which the Spanish overtook the Aztec empire, one of the greatest conquests in history. You will learn about infamous defeats, including the Night of Sorrow, and apocalyptic-like battles between the ferocious warriors that resulted in the foundation of the Church in Mexico. You will behold brilliant tactical maneuvers, diplomacy at its best, and, most significantly, how Mary helped secure the victory of life over a dark culture of death.

This book is ultimately a testament to God’s immeasurable power and mercy, which we are invited to experience even now.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2025

About the author

Dr. Warren H. Carroll was a leading conservative Catholic historian and author, and the founder of Christendom College.

Reviews

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, this account of the history of the conquest of Mexico leading into the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe was engaging, easy to read, and very informative. The author did a great job of laying out the historical situations of the era and utilized multiple primary sources that were integrated nicely into his writing. I highly recommend this read to learn more about history and about Our Lady and the true significance of her apparitions to St. Juan Diego.

[Casan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well researched book on the history preceding Juan Diego’s encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The author did a great job painting the picture of how grim and sadistic Aztec rituals were.