From Patmos to the Barrio

Book excerpt: Sanchez's subject is the power of imperial myths - and the subversive power unleashed when resistance movements take over those myths for their own purposes. Moving from John of Patmos's inversion of Roman imperial mythology in Revelation 12 to the indigenous appropriation of Spanish symbolism and mythology, drawn from Revelation 12, in 17th-century Mexico, Sanchez then explores the continuing power of the Virgin of Guadalupe (La Guadalupea) to inspire movements for a better society in our own day. From Patmos to the Barrio reveals new insights into the biblical Apocalypse of John, and the enduring power of its legacy down to the present day, as well as translations of two important 17th-century documents concerning La Guadalupea: Luis Laso de la Vego's Huei tlamahuiaoltica and Miguel Sanchez's Imagen de la Virgen Maria. Also included are images of La Guadalupea in the murals of East Los Angeles.