A historical tour of the spiritual lives of the Mexican people looks at how particular icons, such as the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Christ Child of Atocha, developed cult followings among the indigenous cultures encountered by the Spanish conquistadors, and then later among the mestizo population that formed as a result of the meeting of those two cultures. The exploration leads to the Mexican cities of Zacatecas, Fresnillo, and Mexico City to find the roots of these paintings, then to Guanajuanto to talk with a present-day retablo painter. A look at modern-day icon worship in New Mexico, including two different pilgrimages that take place each year in the northern and southern areas of the state, brings the story into the 21st century.