Native American Religions of Central and South America (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780826411198)

The New World came into being in the Europeans' encounter with the indigenous religions and cultures of Central and South America. Yet these religions remain little known or are filtered through inadequate categories such as "animism," "superstition," or "syncretism." In this volume, an international group of the finest authorities working on the subject provide rich descriptions and provocative interpretations of religious ideas rarely gathered in one place. Since an exhaustive treatment would be impossible (it is estimated that there could be as many as fifteen thousand different South American languages living or extinct), the aim is to illustrate something of the range of religious beliefs and practices through cases that are exemplary. The first part of the book describes the religious views of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca, dating from the time prior to contact with Europeans. The rest of the book treats contemporary cases from the major cultural and geographical areas of Central and South America. Whether the focus is on myth, architecture, ritual celebrations, or shamanic practice, each essay provides a distinctive profile of the culture in question.Contributors include David Carrasco, Edgardo J. Cordeu, Mercedes de la Garza, Alfredo Lez Austin, Juan Ossia Acu, Alejandra Siffredi, Lawrence E. Sullivan, Terence Turner, Peter van der Loo, Robin M. Wright, and Reiner Tom Zuidema.

Author: Lawrence Sullivan
ISBN-10: 0826411193
ISBN-13: 9780826411198
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Language: English
Published: 06/24/2002
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.73lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.28w x 1.15d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 08/01/2000 pg. 116
Library Journal 08/09/2000