Sue Houser

La Conquistadora, the Story of the Oldest Statue of the Virgin Mary in the United States Sue Houser

The oldest image of the Virgin Mary in the United States--a petite wooden statue--accompanied Spanish Conquistadors and missionaries to the Kingdom of Nuevo Mexico in 1625. Her existence has been tumultuous. She was rescued from a burning church, kidnapped and held for ransom, and had her wooden form mutilated and remade. This book conveys the essence of devotion given to the statue who is yearly celebrated at La Fiesta de Santa Fe and yearly carried in procession based on a promise made over 300 years ago. She is the Queen of New Mexico, enthroned in her own chapel at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has the wardrobe of a Spanish Queen with over 200 exquisite gowns and priceless crowns and jewelry. Her name is La Conquistadora, ''Our Lady of the Conquest.'' Was she a conqueror of territories or a conqueror of hearts and healer of human weaknesses? This is her story.