Abstract

ENRIQUEZ LICON, Dora Elvia; DONJUAN ESPINOZA, Esperanza  and  PADILLA RAMOS, Raquel. Sonora, territorio mariano: La Virgen de Loreto en Bacadéhuachi. Región y sociedad [online]. 2014, vol.26, n.60, pp.229-269. ISSN 2448-4849.

The article gives a broad overview of the process by which the Jesuits spread Marian devotion in the modern state of Sonora during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This became the main strategy for the conversion of the Indians, because in their imaginary the Virgin Mary was endowed with the necessary powers to defeat the devil. In the process of adopting the new veneration, indigenous peoples endowed religious symbols with their own meanings, solidly rooting the popular cult of the Virgin Mary in her various representations. This religious expression persists to this day, and the Virgin Mary continues to be the patron saint of many villages. In order to show the persistence of this religious imaginary, we describe the great importance that Mary's devotion has had in the village of Bacadéhuachi, where the veneration of Our Lady of Loreto continues to be the most important holiday.

Keywords : spiritual conquest; Marian devotion; patron saint festivals; Jesuits; religious imaginary; Opatas.