Maya and Catholic Cultures in Crisis

by John D. Early

Overview

In his most recent book, The Maya and Catholicism: An Encounter of Worldviews, John Early examined the relationship between the Maya and the Catholic Church from the sixteenth century through the colonial and early national periods. In Maya and Catholic Cultures in Crisis, he returns to delve into the changing worldviews of these two groups in the second half of the twentieth century—a period of great turmoil for both.
    
Drawing on his personal experiences as a graduate student, a Roman Catholic priest in the region and his extensive archival research, Early constructs detailed case histories of the Maya uprisings against the governments of Guatemala and Mexico, exploring Liberation Catholicism’s integral role in these rebellions as well as in the evolutions of Maya and Catholic theologies. His meticulous and insightful study is indispensable to understanding Maya politics, society, and religion in the late twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813054049
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	516
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

John D. Early, professor emeritus of anthropology at Florida Atlantic University, is the author of The Maya and Catholicism and coauthor of several books, including The Xilixana Yanomami of the Amazon.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

List of Tables ix

Preface xi

List of Abbreviations xv

Part I Introduction 1

1 The Research 3

Part II The Background of the Crisis in Maya Communities at Mid-Twentieth Century 9

2 The Traditional Maya Worldview as Influenced by Later Evangelization 11

3 Retention of Maya Culture through Periods of Domination 35

4 Growing Inability of Maya Communities to Provide Subsistence 49

5 Long-Standing Strains within Maya Communities 62

6 The Maya Crisis and the Search for Answers 72

Part III Renewed Efforts of the Catholic Church in Maya Communities 85

7 Worldview of Tridentine Catholicism 87

8 Presentation and Maya Reception of the Tridentine Worldview 99

Part IV Crisis within the Catholic Worldview 121

9 Beyond Tridentine Belief and Ritual: Worldview of Vatican Council II 123

10 Crisis and Reaction in Latin America: The Liberation Movement 133

11 Maya Dioceses Reorganize for Action Catholicism 145

12 Maya Communities Organize for Social Action 160

Part V Liberation Consciousness Assisted by Biblical Reflection 175

13 The Bible and Its Worldview as a Cultural Document 177

14 Methods of Reflecting on the Bible 189

15 Biblical Reflections in Maya Communities 199

16 Biblical Reflections in Lacandón Migrant Communities 216

Part VI The Worldviews of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency 233

17 Guatemala: The Role of the Maya in the Worldview of Marxist Insurgency 235

18 Guatemala: The Maya in the Military's Worldview of Counterinsurgency 249

19 Militarization in Guatemala 262

20 Chiapas: The Role of the Maya in the Worldview of the Zapatista Insurgency 273

21 Militarization in Chiapas 293

Part VII The Impact of the Maya Crisis on the Worldviews of Pastoral Workers 313

22 Two Pastoral Workers Evolve 315

23 Social Justice by Sacramental Observance 331

24 Social Justice by Maya Empowerment 347

25 Social Justice by Armed Rebellion 361

26 Liberation Catholicism: Its Relation to the Morality of Armed Rebellion 375

Part VIII The Search for a Revitalized Maya Worldview 393

27 Choices Faced by Catholic Maya in a Turbulent Society 395

28 A Bishop's Evolving Worldview 408

29 The Movement for a Maya Christianity 430

Part IX Conclusion 449

30 A Look Backward and Forward 451

Notes 461

Bibliography 465

Index 487

Editorial Reviews

Early does an admirable job synthesizing the complicated history of how Maya and Catholic worldviews have overlapped, converged, and been in tension with each other, and even those well-versed on the subject will find new information or perspectives that makes this book a welcome new source.”—Anthropological Quarterly
 
 


“Early, a former Catholic priest himself, brings to his long account an insider’s eye for the Catholic side of the story and for the personalities and careers of priests who struggled for decades to both reform Catholicism and find ways to empower Mayan Christians.”—Choice
 


“Wide ranging, well informed, and even-handed.”—American Anthropologist
 

From the Publisher