The Virgin of El BarrioIn 1998, a Mexican American woman named Estela Ruiz began seeing visions of the Virgin Mary in south Phoenix. The apparitions and messages spurred the creation of Marys Ministries, a Catholic evangelizing group, and its sister organization, ESPIRITU, which focuses on community based initiatives and social justice for Latinos as. Based on ten years of participant observation and in depth interviews, The Virgin of El Barrio traces the spiritual