The novel is based on the life of Jean-Baptiste Lamy (1814–1888), and partially chronicles the construction of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The capture of the Southwest by the United States in the Mexican–American War is the catalyst for the plot.
"The Padre of Isleta",[1] Anton Docher is identified as the character of Padre de Baca.[2]
Among the entities mentioned in the novel are Los Penitentes, a flagellant lay confraternity in Southern Colorado and New Mexico that still operates today.[3]
