Latin American Religion

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This week’s PowerPoint discusses the religions that exist within Latin America, how they became embedded within Latin American culture, and the different practices within the religions.
It is important to study religion in order to understand differences between cultures; while not everyone practices the same religion, they all have the commonality of seeking comfort from their religion during difficult times. Within Latin America the different religions that are practiced include Catholicism, Candomble, Santeria, and Vodou. These religions all have different origins, attributes, and practices that make them distinct. Before Conquest in Latin America, the indigenous people had their own deities with shrines, temples, and worship places dedicated to them. However, the
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This resulted in the creation of a major attribute of Popular Catholicism, religious syncretism, which is the blending of supernatural deities from Catholic, indigenous, and African pantheons. Another major attribute is the importance of public rituals and ceremonies, which involved people participating in public households and rituals throughout the year. These rituals and ceremonies would coincide with the Catholic Church calendar, and would be in honor of Catholic saints and even non-Catholic deities. Practitioners were also important, with then holding responsibility for Popular Catholicism rituals. The ritual Todos Santos, or Día de los Muertos, is still celebrated to date in Mexico, Mesoamerica, and the Andes, and has European and pre-Conquest roots. It is believed that in the afternoon or evening of October 31 through November 1st, the spirits of the deceased return to be with their families at home. Altars are decorated for the deceased, and people prepare for the arrival of the spirits through prayers and chants. This ritual revolves around honoring the deceased and establishing a connection with the