Few religious icons dominate and inspire their subjects as powerfully as La Conquistadora, America"s Oldest Madonna, has over the centuries. Don Diego de Vargas carried her image as a message of peace and reconciliation when the Spanish returned to Santa Fe after the Pueblo Revolt. In frontier times, a well-known local madam was especially devoted to her. In modern times, her fame has reached throughout the world, while her local devotional society has provided a link between the very rich and the very poor in Santa Fe, even as it served as a power base for city and state politics. While maintaining her place in the hearts of Santa Feans, La Conquistadora has also taken the throne at the heart of the ancient city"s history, and she has the scars to prove it. With features sometimes called "Palestinian" and startling blue eyes, La Conquistadora"s origins are shrouded in mystery, but Jaima Chevalier unveils surprising new information about this icon"s amazing provenance and past. A...