WalkingtheStationsoftheCross,theChristianfaithfulre-createthePassion,followingthesorrowfulpathofJesusChristfromcondemnationtocrucifixion.Whilethisdevotion,nowsopopularintheCatholicChurchandmanyProtestantdenominations,firstemergedinJerusalemandbeganspreadingthroughWesternEuropeinthefourteenthcentury,itdidnotassumeitscurrentform,andearntheChurch’sformalrecognition,untilalmostthreecenturieslater.Itwasatthistime,inthelastdecadesoftheseventeenthcentury,thataFranciscanfriarincolonialMexicotranslatedadevotionalguidetotheStationsoftheCrossintothenativeNahuatl.Thislittlehandbook,FrayAgustindeVetancurt’sViacrucisenmexicano,provedimmenselypopular,goingthroughtwoeditions,butsurvivestodayonlyinacopymadebyanativescribefromCentralMexico.ReproducedhereinNahuatlandEnglish,Vetancurt’shandbookoffersuniqueinsightintothehistory,thepractice,andthemeaningoftheStationsoftheCrossintheNewWorldandtheOld.WiththeViacrucisenmexicanoasastartingpoint,JohnF.SchwallerexploresthehistoryofthedevelopmentandspreadoftheStationsoftheCross,placingthedevotioninthecontextoftheCatholicReformationandtheBaroque,thetwotrendsthatexaltedthistypeofreligiousexpression.Hedescribeshowthedevotion,exportedtoNewSpaininthesixteenthcentury,wasembracedbySpanishandnativesalike.ForthenativeAmericans,Schwallersuggests,theViacrucisresonatedbecauseofitsperformativeaspects,reminiscentofritualsandobservancesfrombeforethearrivaloftheSpanish.Andformissionaries,thedevotionofferedameansofdeepeningthefaithofthenewlyconverted.InSchwaller’sdeftanalysis--whichextendsfromtheoriginsofthedevotion,totheprocessionsandpublicritualsoftheMexica(Aztecs),tothetextandillustrationsoftheVetancurtmanuscript--theViacrucisenmexicanoopensawindowonthepracticeandsignificanceoftheStationsoftheCross--andofprivatedevotionsgenerally--inMexico,HispanicAmerica,andaroundtheworld.
