My name is Edward Wright-Rios. I am professor of Latin American history in the United States whose specialty is the cultural history of Mexico. For many years, I have been working on topics related to popular religion, the Catholic Church, and the wide array of political, social, and cultural issues linked to religion and religiosity in Mexico. I’ve published a couple of books over the last handful of years and a handful of articles in scholarly journals. This blog represents part of my on-going research on an important Marian pilgrimage in Oaxaca centered on the Virgin of Juquila, a devotion whose history reaches back to the 17th century, but whose popularity has increased considerably in the last 50 years. The project involves archival research, oral history, and ethnography. On the 29th of November, 2016, I will be joining a group of pilgrims walking about 170 km over 5 days. The idea is to document this dynamic cultural phenomenon and eventually publish a detailed description of its recent history alongside a richly visual record of pilgrim experience. When I’m not in Mexico doing research I teach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee.
For more information on my work see http://as.vanderbilt.edu/history/bio/edward-wright-rios.
Pilgrimage in Oaxaca 