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Since the arrival of the Europeans, the indigenous people of what is now Guatemala have endured massacres, persecution, and discrimination. Their religious beliefs and practices have been condemned as superstition and witchcraft. Yet the spiritual worldview of the Maya has survived and even flourishes, five centuries after the invaders' first attempts to destroy it.
In "The Ancient Spirituality of the Modern Maya," Thomas Hart weaves together the stories and experiences of those who practice Maya spirituality today, based on the relationship between God, the World, and the Ancestors, and provides a sense of the Mayan worldview as it is revealed through myth, ceremony, and teaching. The information provided by Hart adds a modern perspective to this largely oral traditional culture and provides a unique insight into its practice today, with its many variations and with the adaptability that has sustained it for over five hundred years.
| Preface | p. ix |
| Acknowledgments | p. xv |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| All God's Children: The Coming of Christianity | p. 9 |
| Adoring the World: The Mayan Vision of God | p. 27 |
| Sacred Time: The Mayan Calendar | p. 39 |
| Presents for the World: Mayan Ceremonies | p. 51 |
| Sacred Places: Shrines and Altars | p. 73 |
| You Need the Driver: The Mayan Priesthood | p. 89 |
| Putting a Question: Divination | p. 107 |
| The Owners of Sickness: Illness and Curing | p. 119 |
| Here Is Our Mother: Corn and the Maya | p. 131 |
| Enchanted Hills: Spirits of the Earth | p. 141 |
| Stones of the World: Ancient Relics | p. 163 |
| A Different Person, a Different God: Maximon and the Saints | p. 175 |
| Sometimes the Dream Is True: Revelations in Dreams | p. 193 |
| They Give Signs: Animal Portents | p. 199 |
| "We say there's no Heaven and there's no Hell": Death and After | p. 205 |
| Coming Out of the Shadows: Mayan Spirituality in the Modern World | p. 219 |
| Afterword | p. 227 |
| Notes | p. 231 |
| Glossary | p. 251 |
| Bibliography | p. 254 |
| Notes on Contributors | p. 261 |
| Index | p. 267 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780826343505
ISBN-10: 0826343503
Audience:
General
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 256
Published: 1st April 2008
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Dimensions (cm): 0.7 x 1.0
x 2.7
Weight (kg): 0.816
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