In this short volume, attractively illustrated with drawings adapted from the Chronicles of Michoacán, Bernardino Verástique proposes to cover a wide territory: to recount the conquest and evangelization of the indigenous people of Michoacán, particularly the Purhépechas; to evaluate the career of Don Vasco de Quiroga, first bishop of Michoacán, for the purpose of resolving the contradictions surrounding him; and to evaluate the lasting value of the missionary efforts of Quiroga and the Catholic religious orders in Michoacán.
The book begins with two chapters on the preconquest history of Michoacán and the religion of the Purhépecha, the dominant native people of the region. These are followed by chapters on the religion and history of Spain, the conquest of Michoacán, and Quiroga’s career as the province’s first bishop. The books ends with a discussion of cultural synthesis or syncretism, which the author concludes is what Quiroga and the missionary orders...
