Abstract

Frances Calderón de la Barca was born in Scotland but lived most of her adult life in the United States, Mexico, and Spain. Her most famous books describe the life and cultures of nineteenth-century Mexico and Spain based on her experiences there. But she was also part of the Anglo-American world and she inherited the typical Protestant prejudices of her day. Her conversion to the Catholic Church in mid-life highlights the factors that finally overcame such seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers. This article uses her books and letters to trace this important writer’s unexpected journey of faith.