True -- it is really quite fascinating. The Monks who traveled to Latin America had to build a conceptual bridge to the paganism. After attempting to (frustratingly) instill the idea of One God and His Son and what the Saints were, they eventually sort of gave up.
The result was a veneration of the Saints as a substitute for the previously-venerated gods. Thus even to this day, Catholic churches have altars to the different saints and people place "offerings" to them. The difference is that today, these are done as a token of love and respect.
The story of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe has some serious historical legs. The Manta is there for all to see (I have seen it) and there are other artifacts (such as the bent cross that threw itself in the way of a mad bomber many years ago).
I believe Mary came to St. Diego to bring God's word to Latin America and I am not alone.
How anyone could say that a message of love from God and veneration of Jesus (John 3:16) is anything less than a message from God is bad is beyond me.
But FR has its haters and they pop out when least desired.
I find the drug gangs demonstrations of love and respect for Santa Muerte particularly touching. Don't you?