|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Latin America is a religious dynamo, a place that, while in some ways highly traditional, also continues to generate religious innovation. The centrality of religion to political power has long been notable in Latin America. The temples and pyramids of the Aztecs and Mayas were among their most imposing structures. The Incas, as well, had a theocratic empire. Likewise, for both Spanish and Portuguese colonizers, the Catholic Church played a central role in social organization. That did not change, in most places, with independence. Anti-clerical Liberals battled with pro-church Conservatives into the twentieth century. The late twentieth century saw a new, revolutionary brand of Catholic faith distinctive to Latin America: Liberation Theology. The same period saw a surge in non-Catholic religious innovation. In numerical terms, the chief one was the advance of Protestantism, initially spread by missionaries from the United States, but eventually self-sustaining. On the other hand, there was also a flowering of transplanted (and obviously modified) African religious practices, especially in Cuba and Brazil.
Research topics for students interested in religion:
Research topics for students...
Maps:
|
|
|
W. W. Norton | Credits | Site Feedback | Technical Support | Print This Page