Phelan's scrupulous research in primary sources in Colombia and a thorough reckoning of the secondary literature make this a "must read" to understand the late colonial society in Nueva Granada. He brings to this book decades of knowledge and research on the Catholic Hispanic culture that was the ethos for European culture in Hispanic America.
This is a work that treats both local history, the history of a region that formed a nation, and a broader culture that has an enduring impact on the hemisphere's cultures and history.