Poole argues that the Virgin became the chief devotion of the criollos, who used the story to legitimize their own Mexican and infuse it with an almost messianic sense of mission and identity.
Poole argues that while many Indians also became religious, the Virgin became the chief devotion of the criollos of pure Spanish descent. They used the story to legitimize their own Mexican and infuse it with an almost messianic sense of mission and identity.