Dealing with Catholic instruments of religious devotion produced in New Mexico from about 1760 to the radical transformation of local artistic tradition in the 20th century, scholars of art history, music, literature, genetics, and other disparate fields argue that local artistic practice is indebted to many cultural traditions, and question why the tradition in New Mexico has been understood exclusively in terms of its Spanish roots. They also contend that the art traditions there have significance in art history and theory generally. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)