LA CONQUISTADORA The Autobiography of an Ancient Statue [SOLD]

LA CONQUISTADORA The Autobiography of an Ancient Statue

Fray Angelico Chavez

St. Anthony Guild Press, Patterson, New Jersey

Hardback, first edition with slipcover. 1954, 134 pages

Condition: book in good condition but slipcover torn in places

La Conquistadora, by Fray Angelico Chavez, though primarily a literary work has information for the historian, color and drama—yes, and humor—for the romantic reader, but most of all it has a moving and pervading love of Our Lady which must appeal to everyone.  It is told in the form of an autobiography by the old wooden statue which has been in this country for more than three and a quarter centuries and which was not new when it was carried here from Mexico City.

In 1625, a gentle and much beloved Franciscan, Fray Alonso de Benavides, was ordered to head the missions in the mysterious new Kingdom of New Mexico.  With him—in a crate on top of a lumbering, ox-driven cart all the long, weary miles from Mexico City to Santa Fe—rode the little wooden statue.  In the new country the statue witnessed growth and change, saw Indian uprisings, Spanish plot and counterplot, saw old things disappear and new arise.

The statue itself underwent physical changes, being carved and recarved, dressed and re-dressed to suit the whim and taste of the moment.  But always it was loved and venerated as a representation and reminder of Our Lady, La Conquistadora, “She Who Conquers.”

Fray Angelico’s accomplished pen has never had a happier subject.  His statue tells its story delightfully, with crisp, individual touches that give a literary flavor quite unforgettable.  And in the background are the immense loneliness of unconquered lands, the icy chill of mountain passes and the lush green of valleys. He summons back to life the vital, colorful people (his own direct ancestors are among the principals) who settled our Southwest and cherished this statue.  But ever and always it is the Spaniards’ love for the Mother of God, and her love for all men, which warms and illumines his pages.