Answered Prayers: Miracles and Milagros along the Border (Southwest Center Series) [Paperback]

Eileen Oktavec (Author)

Book Description

Series: Southwest Center Series | Publication Date: October 1, 1995

When Catholics in the Southwest ask God or a saint for help, many of them do not merely pray. They also promise or present a gift—a tiny metal object known as a milagro. A milagro, which means "miracle" in Spanish, depicts the object for which a miracle is sought, such as a crippled leg or a new house. Milagros are offered for everything people pray for, and so they can represent almost anything imaginable—arms, lungs, hearts, and eyes; men, women, and children; animals, cars, boats—even lost handbags and imprisoned men. In Answered Prayers, the Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Tohono O'odham, and Yaquis who practice this tradition share their stories of unwavering faith and divine intervention. Anthropologist and photographer Eileen Oktavec has spent more than two decades documenting this fascinating tradition in the Arizona-Mexico borderlands. Quoting extensive interviews, she explains the beliefs of the people who perform this ancient folk ritual and the many rules guiding this practice. She also describes the many places where milagros are offered—from the elaborate Mexican baroque Mission San Xavier near Tucson, Arizona, to tiny household shrines and hospitals on both sides of the border. Oktavec also explains how milagros are made, where they are bought, and how they are used in jewelry, sculpture, and art.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The custom of making small artifacts and leaving them in churches, as a method of offering thanks or requesting divine intervention, has long been a part of religious worship. This practice is particularly important among the Catholic Hispanic and Native American populations of Arizona and northern Mexico. Oktavec, who has studied the practice for over 20 years, describes its European genesis but focuses primarily on the Native and Hispanic influences. Her interviews with persons leaving the objects at churches form the basis for her study. She also evaluates collections of the artifacts, called milagros (miracles), from two churches. Oktavec's volume is the most extensive study of this religious practice available. It will obviously be important to researchers of the Catholic Church and the Southwest. Yet it is not overly academic and will be of interest to the general reader interested in the topic.?Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, Utah
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Examined here is the age-old practice of using, as a petition to the saints, tiny gold and silver figures of women, men, hearts, eyes, limbs, babies, children, cars, boats, and many other items that need fixing or healing, all of which are known as milagros. Oktavec's book provides a thorough history of milagros (the usage actually originated in Europe and was brought to the New World with the conquistadors). She talks with persons who have had their prayers answered and observes many of the faithful as they visit statues of their patron saints to request favors or blessings. Milagros are usually left as an expression of thanks for favors granted or as a tangible reminder to the saint that the favor still needs granting. However, as Oktavec discovers, they are increasingly being used in jewelry and other decorative arts. Answered Prayers is a superb look at the intensity of religious faith and a brief glimpse of the fascinating cultural traditions that support the customs and beliefs associated with milagros. Kathleen Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816515816
• ISBN-13: 978-0816515813
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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