StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Analyzing witchcraft in Pre-colonial and colonial Mexico - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The rituals and beliefs of the indigenous people were determined by the predominantly Catholic Europeans as evil. The term “witchcraft” and “witch” were European definitions. Witch and…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Analyzing witchcraft in Pre-colonial and colonial Mexico
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Analyzing witchcraft in Pre-colonial and colonial Mexico"

Download file to see previous pages

Just like the smallpox and other diseases brought by the Europeans wiped out civilizations, Catholicism eradicated the native religion of Mexico. Between 1800 and 300 BC, complex cultures flourished in Mexico. Many matured into advanced pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations such as the: Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec, which thrived for nearly 4,000 years before the Europeans landed in Mexico. First the religious practices of these civilizations and the effect of European colonization on the religious practices will examined.

The Europeans reaction to the rituals of these cultures need to be looked at. Finally, the persecution of natives practicing witchcraft will be analyzed. The Olmec culture, especially their religious culture, can only be interpreted by archaeological measures like the Las Limas figures. The Olmec died out before Europeans came to Mexico. Cave art, digs, and other archaeological finds have shown that the Olmec religion had priests and shamans.1 Kings and rulers had to worship or link themselves to Olmec gods to prove their right to the rule.

2 One author explains, “much of the art of La Venta appears to have been dedicated to rulers who dressed as gods, or to the gods themselves”.3 Olmec art shows deities like the Feathered Serpent and the Rain Spirit were already in the Mesoamerican pantheon in Olmec times.4 The Olmec believed in multi deities and spirits. Although the Olmec culture had died out before the European Conquistadors reached Mexico, speculation can be made based upon what is known about what happened to later cultures under colonization.

The Catholicism that would sweep across Mexico believed in the Trinity. Anybody worshiping any deity or god other than God the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, would be considered a witch, practicing witchcraft. Although the it can not be proven conclusively, there is indications the Olmec might have

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Analyzing witchcraft in Pre-colonial and colonial Mexico Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543385-analyzing-witchcraft-in-pre-colonial-and-colonial-mexico
(Analyzing Witchcraft in Pre-Colonial and Colonial Mexico Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543385-analyzing-witchcraft-in-pre-colonial-and-colonial-mexico.
“Analyzing Witchcraft in Pre-Colonial and Colonial Mexico Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543385-analyzing-witchcraft-in-pre-colonial-and-colonial-mexico.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Analyzing witchcraft in Pre-colonial and colonial Mexico

Gender in the Colonial period

This research paper examines the role of women in colonial America and how the religious Puritanical system of the time defined women's rights and duties within that society.... hellip; Using the sources of American History, the author describes the Puritans who settled in colonial America and created laws and customs relating to women's roles that were, in some cases, more stringent than those that existed in England at the time.... This common view of Puritan men “made women susceptible to charges of witchcraft, particularly those who stood to inherit large estates that would have endowed them with uncommon economic influence” (Karlsen, 1987: 52)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Gender Norms during Colonial Period in North America

Gender Norms during colonial Period in North America The subject of gender right throughout the history of America has been a social foundation, which restrains as well as constructs womanhood and manhood all through the centuries.... During the colonial American period, the people maintained a “household economy” where they produced food and clothing for their own use, by men and women working in the field together.... By 1629, there had been common practice of cultivating tobacco across the colonial economy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

To What Extent Was Colonial Development Driven by Domestic Concerns

To what Extent was colonial Development Driven by Domestic (Coloniser) Concerns, Rather than the Interests of the Colonised?... This meant that the Africans and other territories that would be colonised would follow the trends of the colonial powers.... Though some territories collaborated with the invasion of these Europeans, they did not consent to the invasion of the colonial driven development strategies....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Colonial Latin America

As a function of analyzing the level of superstition that existed within the Spanish Empire of Latin America, it is necessary to realize that three distinct groups comprise the majority of cultural exchange that took place within Latin America between 1518 50.... As a direct result of the fact that both the Spanish Empire incorporated so many different ethnic and social groups into their collective, the level of diversity which was exhibited within the societies of Latin America was one that was highly syncretic....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Ancient Roman and Greek Governmental Systems and Colonial America

colonial Americans drew heavily on the customs and traditions of ancient Greece and Rome to shape their own government and political system. … Greece and Rome & colonial America - The ancient Greeks lived in city-states, which were separate political units, and the administrative system was different in different city-states.... What lessons relevant to their own thinking about government did colonial Americans draw from history of Ancient Greece and Rome How were theselessons implementedIntroduction -In this article we will provide an analysis of knowledge and understanding of individuals, groups, concepts, and developments, in colonization era of the United States....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Influence of British Colonial Policy on the State

The paper "Influence of British colonial Policy on the State" argues the statement that the British State was shaped by the constraints and opportunities presented by its colonial possessions, employing a multidisciplinary approach, suitable to the logic and content of the intent of concluding.... Thereafter, we will further our argument by referring to the useful categorization of Hanrieder to demonstrate how colonial interests ultimately shaped the British state at the institutional level....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

Colonial Rule in Africa

In the essay “colonial Rule in Africa” the questions that may be raised here are: why this foreign intrusion took place?... In his book titled colonial Africa, A.... rdquo;2 For this alone, many scholars and historians contend that the European colonial rule of Africa was structured as a form of dictatorship because the military machine was doing its job in finding a way how to pacify the African subjects and therefore maintain a state of order....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Colonials Wars

The article "colonial Wars" focuses on the wars that took place between the regions of England and France due to their objective of attaining supremacy.... Article Summary The article d as colonial Wars focuses on the wars that took place between the regions of England and France due to their objective of attaining supremacy.... In the conference it was proposed that a centralized form of colonial government was required to be developed that would control the colonies but the plan was voted against....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us