Customer Reviews

Saints of the Southwest

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Jim Griffith's Saints of the Southwest is a beautiful gift book that combines photographs of images or representations of thirty-one saints with very short essays that summarize the life of each saint and describe his/her following in Northern Mexico, Arizona, or New Mexico. The saints range from the obvious - San Martín de Porres, la Virgen de Guadalupe, el Santo Niño de Atocha - to the more obscure, like San Ramón Nonato and San Pascual Bailón. Many of the images themselves are exquisite, reflecting some of the artistic traditions of the Southwest. That they are located in a variety of places - from roadside shrines commemorating accidents to private chapels to churches open to the public - attests to how deeply these saints resonate in the region's consciousness. Griffith's descriptions of how and when the veneration (and representation) of the saints developed tell us a lot about the popular religiosity and cultural history of the region. This book will appeal to many readers, whether they are aficianados of Southwest culture and art, faithful Catholics, religion buffs, or folklorists.

Featuring twenty one saints, six "Mary's", three angels and one manifestaion of the Christ child this book is a bit of misnomer. However the book is beautiful in it's presentation with short one page explanations of the significance of each holy representation. I received this book as a gift and cherish it 's brevity yet immenesly powerful imagery and accompanying stories on the origins of each person. The photographs are taken from various locations including such diverse places as churches and roadside shrines. Their are several wood carved bultos and retablos that are of particular interest to those interested in the folkloric arts of the southwest. A fantastic little gem for those moments of reflection to be enjoyed over and over. The antiqutiy of some of the art pieces is amazing and deserves more than a second look. If you want you could whip through this in less than hour but really it should be read and enjoyed numerous times. If you know someone who likes the religious arts of the southwest this is a good choice to give as a gift. I found the section on Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha particularly interesting, the first native American on her way to to becoming a saint in the Catholic Church. I would recommend giving this book to someone or treating yourself if you love the arts of the southwest.

I found this book at a small shop in Ann Arbor Michiganand and fell in love with it. There are beautiful photographs of altars, shrines, saints, Mother Mary, and more. The inside of the front has an amazing photo of a private chapel devoted to the saints which actualy served as the inspiration for ma to create a similar chapel for myself. This book is truly worth the price and has so much to offer. Dont let this one get away.

Jim Griffith's book is a beautiful departure from the more academic work on southwestern culture that he has produced over the last few decades. This is a wonderful gift book for anyone interested in catholic saints, folk arts or the southwest.

Again, a beautiful book.