When a typical farmer and descendant of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula was asked why, if he was a Christian, did he make offerings to the chaac, the rain spirits, he answered, "Because I make milpa." In Brazil the black Portuguese worship the warrior god Ogum under the guise of the Christian saint St. George. Because of its early history of Spanish colonization and rule, the official religion of the Dominican Republic is Catholicism. syncretism in latin america Discuss the role of syncretism and religious conversion in the film The Other Conquest. In Santeria/Christian syncretism in Cuba and Haiti she is known as Our Lady of Regla. A combination of Yoruba-based Candomblé religion, Catholicism, and European spiritism, Umbanda served a unique role as a unifying force rather than method of control. After years of using force the Catholic monks and friars had to come to the realization that Christianity as a monotheistic religion was just not something that the Indigenous population embraced. Instances of religious syncretism—as, for example, Gnosticism (a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the Oriental mystery religions), Judaism, Christianity, and Greek religious philosophical concepts—were particularly prevalent during the Hellenistic period (c. 300 bce –c. A church was built for her on the Hill of Tepeyac, which was also the site of the pagan Nahua goddess, Tonantzin. Rowe, John H.(1957). Paper instructions: • Discuss the role of syncretism and religious conversion in the film The Other Conquest. Despite high levels of Catholic religiosity in this region, huacas are still prominent symbols of Indigenous pride and heritage ( the flags of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru contain various depictions of the Inca sun god, Inti).[7]. Was it really important that the Indigenous population understand that the Christian gods they were told to worship were strictly Christian? [4] Indeed, this strong parallel inspired a unique idolization of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico that remains an important aspect of Catholicism in Central America to this day [See: Marianismo]. Modern anthropologists often attribute the success of Christianity in Central America to the preexisting similarities between Aztec faith and Catholicism. Describe how the devotion to the Virgen de Guadalupe has maintained indigenous religious traditions in Latin America through religious syncretism. These are just a few examples of the wide diversity of religious syncretism and celebrations that take place in Latin America which are strongly … • Describe how the devotion to the Virgen de Guadalupe has maintained indigenous religious traditions in Latin America through religious syncretism. Ogum originated in Yoruba and Haitian religions. In Bahia, she is known as Our Lady of Conception. Because of this we see so many Christian deities with a dual identity in Latin America today. Differentiating between beliefs and mere superstitions was a practical way for the Catholic clergy to justify this new form of Christianity. In essence what this boils down to is the clergy's decision to pick their battles. But contrary to popular belief this was not always a one way street. You can get a more in depth look at this deity's background here, but for a quick overview, this deity was created by Miguel Sanchez, a Catholic priest, in 1648, but was embraced by the Christian clergy in Mexico as a way to convert the Indigenous population because of her Indian appearance. [8] Throughout Latin America the tradition of syncretic practice aided the process of cultural integration, revealing culture and religion to be inexplicably intertwined. Religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/inca.html, CIA - The World Factbook -- Field Listing - Religions", http://www.ipoaa.com/religion_african_latin.htm, https://hist140.fandom.com/wiki/Religious_Syncretism?oldid=6026. Syncretism. SYNCRETISM IN LATIN AMERICA • Discuss the role of syncretism and religious conversion in the film The Other Conquest. • Make reference to the course readings (ATTACHED), the film The Other Conquest, … Hist140 Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The decision of the Catholic Church to permit syncretic worship in the late eighteenth century, is reflected in the prevalence of huacas in modern day Andean America, . UC Berkeley: Retrieved from: "The Religion of LAtin American and African Slaves.". While on the surface, Christian gods and deities such as saints and virgins were accepted by the Indians, they continued to worship their own gods in secrecy. The Catholic religion was the official religion of Bolivia until 2009 when the New Bolivian Constitution was approved and Bolivia became a secular country. To convert the "natives" they made use of severe measures, such as building Christian churches above indigenous temples. In Central America, the emergence of documented syncretic development emerged during the Aztec Empire's expansion and multiple revisions of the god, Huitzilopochtli. As independent and vastly diverse entities, the process of integration included culturally-particular ways of envisioning and representing the ‘native’ and the ‘foreign’ within different Latin American populations. In Central America, the Aztecs transitioned into Christianity much faster than in many other regions of Latin America.