Part 1. New Spain from the conquest to independence (1521-1821) -- Brothers and enemies : Spaniards and Creoles -- Irreconcilable enemies : Indians, Mestizos, Mulattoes -- The inquisition and pagan underground -- The Indian, a spiritual problem (1524-1648) -- The Creole utopia of the "Indian Spring" (1604-1700) -- The spiritual emancipation (1728-1759) -- The holy war (1767-1821) -- Part 2. Quetzalcóatl, or the Phoenix bird -- The first Franciscans -- The genesis of the Creole myth -- Saint Thomas-Quetzalcóatl, apostle of Mexico -- Epilogue : The "Four Hundred" modern Quetzalcóatls -- Part 3. Guadalupe, or the new epiphany -- Holy Mary and Tonantzin -- The infancy of Guadalupe -- The dispute of apparitions -- Guadalupe, a Mexican national emblem -- Epilogue : Guadalupe today -- Perspectives