Episode 66 with Beatriz Gomez Acuña

El Camino de Santiago is a historic pilgrimage route, a long-distance hiking trek and one of Spain’s most iconic tourist attractions all at the same time. In this episode, Beatriz Gomez Acuña, a professor at Elmhurst University and a veteran of the camino, discusses the history behind these routes to Santiago de Compostela as well as the challenges and rewards of walking the camino in the modern era of mass tourism.

The Episode

The Guest

Beatriz Gómez Acuña is a Professor of Spanish and Latino Studies at Elmhurst University where she teaches courses on Spanish culture, cinema and literature as well as US Latino studies. Her scholarly interests lie in the study of oral traditions and folklore in Spain and Judeo-Spanish communities. Most of her publications in this area relate to the study of Hispanic Balladry.

Dr. Gómez Acuña is currently researching the wellness benefits of the Camino de Santiago and developing mindful practices for pilgrims undertaking this journey. She is also the national president of Alpha Mu Gamma, the National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society.

Suggested Readings

• Asensi, Matilde. Iacobus. Planeta, 2005. 
• Coelho, Paulo. The pilgrimage. United Kingdom, HarperCollins, 1995.
• Coffey, Thomas F., and Maryjane Dunn. The Miracles and Translatio of Saint James: Books Two and Three of the Liber Sancti Jacobi. Italica Press, 2019. 
• Davidson, Linda Kay, and Maryjane Dunn. The Pilgrimage to Compostela in the Middle Ages: A Book of Essays. Taylor and Francis, 2012.
• Garrido, Manuel. El Camino de Santiago: Doce Siglos de Historia. Alianza Editorial, 2023. 
• H. Olsen, Daniel. “Globalization, glocalization, and the changing nature of pilgrimage in a post-secular world.” Ad Limina, XV, no. 15, 25 July 2024.
• Lois González, R.C. “The Camino de Santiago and its contemporary renewal: Pilgrims, tourists and territorial identities.” Culture and Religion, 14, no. 1(2013): 8-22.
• Márquez Villanueva, Francisco, and Juan Goytisolo. Santiago: Trayectoria de Un Mito. Edicions Bellaterra, 2004. 
• “The Way.” Directed by Emilio Estevez, Filmax, 2010. 
• Vázquez de Parga, Luis, et al. Las Peregrinaciones a Santiago de Compostela. Gobierno de Navarra, Departamento de Educación y Cultura, 1998.