Guatemala's Folk Saints

Guatemala's Folk Saints PDF Author: Jim Pieper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
The icons documented in this handsome volume appear in many physical forms, ranging from life-size to half an inch tall. They reflect a belief system deeply rooted in the ancient Mayan religion of Guatemala and influenced by centuries of superimposed Christianity. The objects whose photographs appear here are collected as ethnographic folk art by aficionados but they, and the saints they represent, are a living part of Guatemalan culture. Guatemala's Folk Saintsis a rich mélange of observation, interviews, and photographs that combine to give a vivid and intimate portrait of this particular variety of syncretic Christianity. Including extensive information on altars, prayers, and the pantheon of the saints themselves, the book focuses on an entity known both as Maximon and San Simon, a spiritual representative to whom any kind of request can be made. Although petitioners are usually encouraged to pray only for "good causes," San Simon can also be enlisted to get rid of evil spells or even to cast one. San Simon may be a bundle of woven textile topped with a hat or a life-size figure with his face hidden behind a mask and designer sunglasses. He may wear cowboy boots or be covered in petitioners' offerings of silk scarves. Clouded in incense and addressed in indigenous dialects, he is Mayan. Addressed in Spanish, his Christian veneer becomes clear. Other chapters address Rey Pascual (a skeletal deity), the Ajitz Judas, Lucifer, Don Diego, and San Gregorio. The book includes a glossary and bibliography. This unique documentation of modern Mayan culture will be of interest to scholars, collectors, and travelers.

Guatemala's Folk Saints

Guatemala's Folk Saints PDF Author: Jim Pieper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book Here

Book Description
The icons documented in this handsome volume appear in many physical forms, ranging from life-size to half an inch tall. They reflect a belief system deeply rooted in the ancient Mayan religion of Guatemala and influenced by centuries of superimposed Christianity. The objects whose photographs appear here are collected as ethnographic folk art by aficionados but they, and the saints they represent, are a living part of Guatemalan culture. Guatemala's Folk Saintsis a rich mélange of observation, interviews, and photographs that combine to give a vivid and intimate portrait of this particular variety of syncretic Christianity. Including extensive information on altars, prayers, and the pantheon of the saints themselves, the book focuses on an entity known both as Maximon and San Simon, a spiritual representative to whom any kind of request can be made. Although petitioners are usually encouraged to pray only for "good causes," San Simon can also be enlisted to get rid of evil spells or even to cast one. San Simon may be a bundle of woven textile topped with a hat or a life-size figure with his face hidden behind a mask and designer sunglasses. He may wear cowboy boots or be covered in petitioners' offerings of silk scarves. Clouded in incense and addressed in indigenous dialects, he is Mayan. Addressed in Spanish, his Christian veneer becomes clear. Other chapters address Rey Pascual (a skeletal deity), the Ajitz Judas, Lucifer, Don Diego, and San Gregorio. The book includes a glossary and bibliography. This unique documentation of modern Mayan culture will be of interest to scholars, collectors, and travelers.

Devoted to Death

Devoted to Death PDF Author: R. Andrew Chesnut
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190633328
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
R. Andrew Chesnut offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin Americans and immigrants in the U.S. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity. In particular, Chesnut shows Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.

Botánicas

Botánicas PDF Author: Joseph M. Murphy
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
ISBN: 1626745358
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
Botánicas is an exploration in text and photographs of spiritual shops found in Latino neighborhoods throughout the United States. Readers discover these marvelous spaces and their alternative spiritualties that help patrons cope with the grind and challenges of city life. Botánicas provide access to an array of invisible powers and sell the ingredients to construct symbolic solutions to their patrons' problems. The stores are bright and baroque, and the powers they invoke come from religious traditions in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the native Americas. In Botánicas, Joseph M. Murphy offers a cultural history of the devotions on display and a reflection on the efficacy of their powers to heal. Readers will come to see that the goods and devotions of botánicas give their patrons--mostly Latino, often immigrants--pathways for empowerment and transformation. The name botánicas comes from the "botanicals" for sale, herbs and plants with healing powers. The pharmacopeia of botánicas can be vast, and owners may know hundreds of remedies for treating problems of health, wealth, and love. Botánicas vend herbs for upset stomach, herbs for finding a job, and herbs for wooing back a wayward spouse. Supplementing these medicinal and magical plants, botánicas sell candles, holy statues, and tools for devotion to an array of spiritual powers--Catholic saints, African gods, indigenous spirits, and Asian divinities. Each spirit has its own ritual of petition, and botánica owners can discern the proper offerings and prayers to help the supplicant. Murphy explains the religions of the botánica with subtlety and sensitivity. He gives readers a deep sense of the contexts of the stores and a sophisticated analysis of the religious traditions that suffuse them. Visually fascinating, culturally rich, and religiously profound, Botánicas is a window into a world of beauty and power.

Guatemala's Masks & Drama

Guatemala's Masks & Drama PDF Author: Jim Pieper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Both long time devotees of the Guatemalan mask/dance culture and newcomers to the subject will be equally fascinated by this colorful and informative book. Hundreds of masks, many accompanied by contextual photographs, appear in full color and are identified in detail. The author also explains how to evaluate the age of a mask through an examination of patina and repair. Village rental agencies, calledmorarias,their walls and ceilings covered with costumes and masks, are also featured, as are masks used by life-size folk saints. Several original dance scripts have been translated, giving the reader the rare opportunity to view the relationship of the masked characters to their place in the ritual dance culture.

Devoted to Death

Devoted to Death PDF Author: R. Andrew Chesnut
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199921121
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
R. Andrew Chesnut offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin Americans and immigrants in the U.S. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity. In particular, Chesnut shows Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.

Latina/o Healing Practices

Latina/o Healing Practices PDF Author: Brian McNeill
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135919607
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
This edited volume focuses on the role of traditional or indigenous healers, as well as the application of traditional healing practices in contemporary counseling and therapeutic modalities with Latina/o people. The book offers a broad coverage of important topics, such as traditional healer’s views of mental/psychological health and well-being, the use of traditional healing techniques in contemporary psychotherapy, and herbal remedies in psychiatric practice. It also discusses common factors across traditional healing methods and contemporary psychotherapies, the importance of spirituality in counseling and everyday life, the application of indigenous healing practices with Latina/o undergraduates, indigenous techniques in working with perpetrators of domestic violence, and religious healing systems and biomedical models. The book is an important reference for anyone working within the general field of mental health practice and those seeking to understand culturally relevant practice with Latina/o populations.

Cultures of Devotion

Cultures of Devotion PDF Author: Frank Graziano
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195171306
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Spanish America has produced numerous "folk saints" -- venerated figures regarded as miraculous but not officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Some of these have huge national cults with hundreds -- perhaps millions -- of devotees. In this book Frank Graziano provides the first overview in any language of these saints, offering in-depth studies of the beliefs, rituals, and devotions surrounding seven representative figures. These case studies are illuminated by comparisons to some hundred additional saints from contemporary Spanish America. Among the six primary cases are Difunta Correa, at whose shrines devotees offer bottles of water and used auto parts in commemoration of her tragic death in the Argentinean desert. Gaucho Gil is only one of many gaucho saints, whose characteristic narrative involves political injustice and Robin-Hood crimes on behalf of the exploited people. The widespread cult of the Mexican saint Nino Fidencio is based on faith healing performed by devotees who channel his powers. Nino Compadrito is an elegantly dressed skeleton of a child, whose miraculous powers are derived in part from an Andean belief in the power of the skull of one who has suffered a tragic death. Graziano draws upon site visits and extensive interviews with devotees, archival material, media reports, and documentaries to produce vivid portraits of these fascinating popular movements. In the process he sheds new light on the often fraught relationship between orthodox Catholicism and folk beliefs and on an important and little-studied facet of the dynamic culture of contemporary Spanish America.

Time Commences in Xibalbá

Time Commences in Xibalbá PDF Author: Luis de Lión
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816599467
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
Time Commences in Xibalbá tells the story of a violent village crisis in Guatemala sparked by the return of a prodigal son, Pascual. He had been raised tough by a poor, single mother in the village before going off with the military. When Pascual comes back, he is changed—both scarred and “enlightened” by his experiences. To his eyes, the village has remained frozen in time. After experiencing alternative cultures in the wider world, he finds that he is both comforted and disgusted by the village’s lingering “indigenous” characteristics.

Popol Vuh

Popol Vuh PDF Author:
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684818450
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
One of the most extraordinary works of the human imagination and the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, Popul Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life was first made accessible to the public 10 years ago. This new edition retains the quality of the original translation, has been enriched, and includes 20 new illustrations, maps, drawings, and photos.

Encyclopedia of Sacred Places [2 volumes]

Encyclopedia of Sacred Places [2 volumes] PDF Author: Norbert C. Brockman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1598846558
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 724

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Book Description
Now thoroughly revised and updated, this encyclopedia documents the diversity of shrines, temples, holy places, and pilgrimage sites sacred to the world's major religious traditions, and illustrates their elemental place in human culture. As interest increases in the role of world religions in history and international affairs, the new edition of Encyclopedia of Sacred Places—which arrives 15 years after the publication of the original edition—provides new and updated information on site-specific religious practice and spiritually significant locations around the globe. While many of the entries describe specific places, like the Erawan Shrine and the Rock of Cashel, others examine types of sacred sites, pilgrimages, and practices. With articles that describe both the places and their associated traditions and history, this reference book reveals the enormous diversity and cultural significance of religious practice worldwide. For students and teachers of classes ranging from high school geography to university-level courses in religious studies, geography, anthropology, and sociology, this book provides essential reference on places of great significance to the world's various faith traditions.