Juan Francisco Martinez. Sea la Luz: The Making of Mexican
Protestantism in the American Southwest, 1829-1900. Denton:
University of North Texas Press, 2006. xii + 196 pp. $24.95
(cloth), ISBN 978-1-57441-222-2. Reviewed by Jose Augusto
Fontoura Costa (Department of Post-Graduation and Research,
Catholic University of Santos) Published on H-Ideas (March,
2007) Una sola luz It is well known that the American conquest
of the West, which includes the Mexican-American War of 1846-48,
resulted from socio-economic pressures, the ideological faith in
superiority of a way of life, and the drive toward "civilized
expansion." In Sea la Luz (Let There be Light), Juan Francisco
Martinez describes an important aspect of this process, in
particular the intent to gain hearts and (especially) souls
through the missionary activities of Protestants living among
the supposedly inferior Mexicans. The work provides a rich
overview, based on a wide range of primary sources from pastors
of seven denominations (Baptist General Conve