Tongues of fire : language and evangelization in Colonial Mexico Signs and gestures Interpreters Confusion of tongues Language barriers under siege Speaking the word of God Catechists and catechism The word of God The problem of meaning Adoptions and adaptations The art of persuasion Continuity and convergence Language contact and translation in the evangelization of Mexico with a focus on the ethnically and linguistically diverse region of Oaxaca. Major themes are the challenge of cultural difference in translating the Christian message and the role of the indigenous elites in shaping that message and its reception