ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses conceptual and theoretical issues of relevance to the types of journeys that feature in Sacred Mobilities. It concerns with 'sacred mobilities' in their broadest sense, with 'journeys of belief and belonging' that is incorporating a spectrum of those movements and travels prompted by religious, more broadly 'spiritual' and secular-sacred practices and priorities. The book discusses the idea of life as pilgrimage features in several contributions. This is achieved through a combination of a survey of visitors and local residents, interviews with state and church representatives, and participant observation, further adding to the list of methods used in this book. Drawing on a wealth of Spanish-language literature, the book discusses the beginnings of the Way and steady decline thereafter until the modern period. Nina Vollenbroker advances the idea of 'dwelling' in motion through a study of Overland Trails of nineteenth-century America.
