SowingtheSacredtracesthedevelopmentofPentecostalismamongMexican-AmericanmigrantlaborersinCalifornia’sagriculturalindustryfromthe1910stothe1960s.Atthetime,Pentecostalismwasoftenseenasadistastefulnewsectrifewithcultishandfanaticaltendencies;U.S.growersthoughtofMexicansasnomorethanamereworkforcenotfitforcitizenship;andindustrialagriculturewascelebratedforfeedingAmericanfamilieswhileitsexploitationofworkerswentlargelyignored.Farmworkersweremadeouttobeculturallyvacuousandlackingcreativegenius,simplelaborerscaughtinavertiginouscycleofmigrantwork.ThisbookarguesthatfarmworkersfromLaAsambleaApost籀licadelaFeenCristoJes繳scarvedoutarobustsocio-religiousexistencedespitetheseconditions,andindoingsoproducedavastrecordofculturalvibrancy.ExaminingracializedportrayalsofMexicanworkersandtheirreligiouslivesthroughimagescreatedbyfarmworkersthemselves,SowingtheSacreddrawsonoralhistories,photographs,andmaterialsfromnewarchivalcollectionstotellanintimatestoryofsacred-spacemaking.Inshowinghowtheseworkersmappedoutchurches,performedoutdoorbaptismsingrower-controlledwaterways,andbuiltandmaintainedhousesofworshipinthefields,thisbookconsiderstherolethathistoricalmemoryplaysintellingthesestories.
