Mary was born somewhere around 16-20 BC, and though we do not know where she was born, she certainly lived at least some of her teenage years in Nazareth of Galilee. The Galilee of the time of Jesus was not only the richest, fertile farmland, cultivated to the utmost – it was covered in towns and villages filled with working class families and served as the center of many trades and industries; it was important land for the nation of Israel. Galilee was in an area with several very busy roads that accommodated the commerce of the world at that time. Nazareth was a city with one of the great caravan routes – leading from the sea to Damascus. People of all nations, busy with another life than that of Israel, would appear in the streets of Nazareth daily. For Mary, this meant she was accustomed to many thoughts and associations related to the outside world that would be discussed and introduced in Nazareth by these travelers. Mary would have gone to the market and done her daily business in the streets with people from all over – with all kinds of new products and ideas.