In the historical novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop," Willa Cather depicts Padre Antonio Jose Martinez as an unscrupulous, backward, rogue priest, and Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy as a civilizing, heroic, and monumental figure. Countering Cather's portrayal, de Aragon attempts to set the historical record straight.

compiled by Workers of the Writers Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of New Mexico.

A professional historian, author, editor, and translator, Marc Simmons has published numerous books and monographs on the Southwest as well as articles in more than twenty scholarly and popular journals.