Eileen Oktavec first became interested in milagros when she was a graduate student in anthropology at the University
of Arizona. She lives in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and returns to Arizona each year to conduct research.
Review
"Answered Prayers will remain as the foundation for our understanding of milagros for decades to come."
--Bernard Fontana, from the foreword
University of Arizona Press Web Site, November, 2000
Summary
When Catholics in the Southwest ask God or a saint for help, many of them do not merely pray. They also promise
or present a gift--a tiny metal object known as a milagro. A milagro, which means "miracle" in Spanish,
depicts the object for which a miracle is sought, such as a crippled leg or a new house. Milagros are offered for
everything people pray for, and so they can represent almost anything imaginable--arms, lungs, hearts, and eyes;
men, women, and children; animals, cars, boats--even lost handbags and imprisoned men. In Answered Prayers, the
Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Tohono O'odham, and Yaquis who practice this tradition share their stories of unwavering
faith and divine intervention.
Anthropologist and photographer Eileen Oktavec has spent more than two decades documenting this fascinating tradition
in the Arizona-Mexico borderlands. Quoting extensive interviews, she explains the beliefs of the people who perform
this ancient folk ritual and the many rules guiding this practice. She also describes the many places where milagros
are offered--from the elaborate Mexican baroque Mission San Xavier near Tucson, Arizona, to tiny household shrines
and hospitals on both sides of the border. Oktavec also explains how milagros are made, where they are bought,
and how they are used in jewelry, sculpture, and art.
