Maya Christians and Their Churches in Sixteenth-Century Belize

by Elizabeth Graham (Editor)

Overview

It is widely held that Christianity came to Belize as an extension of the conquest of Yucatan and that adherence to Christian belief and practice was abandoned in the absence of enduring Spanish authority. An alternative view comes from the excavations of Maya churches at Tipu and Lamanai, which show that the dead were buried in Christian churchyards long after the churches themselves fell into disuse, and pre-Columbian ritual objects were cached in Christian sacred spaces both during and after Spanish occupation. Excavations also reveal that the architectural style of these early churches is Franciscan in inspiration but nonetheless the product of continuing community efforts at construction and repair. A conclusion difficult to ignore is that the Maya of Tipu and Lamanai considered themselves Christians with or without Spanish presence.

Viewing historical and archaeological data through the lens of her personal experience of Roman Catholicism, and informed by feminist approaches, Elizabeth Graham assesses the concept of religion, the significance of doctrine, the empowerment of the individual, and the process of conversion by examining the meanings attributed to ideas, objects and images by the Maya, by Iberian Christians, and by archaeologists. Graham’s provocative study also makes the case that the impact of Christianity in Belize was a phenomenon that uniquely shaped the development of the modern nation.

A volume in the series Maya Studies, edited by Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813065519
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	03/17/2020
Series:	Maya Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	458
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Elizabeth Graham is Professor of Mesoamerican Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Table of Contents

List of Figures ix

List of Maps xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

Part I

1 The View from Belize and the Vision from St. Mike's 9

2 Yucatan and Belize on the Eve of Conquest 29

3 Cheese and Terms 59

4 Being Christian and the Doctrine of the Church 86

Part II

5 The Environment of Early Contact 105

6 The Millennial Kingdom and the Belize Missions 137

Part III

7 How to Tell a Church 167

8 The Churches at Tipu and Lamanai 189

9 Reductions and Upheaval in the Seventeenth Century 239

Part IV

10 What Europe Did for Us 263

11 Being Pagan 285

12 Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like 307

Appendix 1 Friars in Belize 314

Appendix 2 Bishops of Yucatan to 1714 323

Notes 325

Glossary of Terms 375

References Cited 385

Index 415

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An important and innovative study that brings a good number of fascinating archaeological findings to bear on the process of Christian conversion in the colonial Maya world. Seldom has the archaeological material culture of an evangelized society been brought to light so thoroughly and engagingly.”—Fernando Cervantes, coauthor of Angels, Demons, and the New World

“Combines history, archaeology, religious studies, Spanish colonialism, Maya culture, and Graham’s perspectives on Catholicism to complete a convincing and fascinating study of Maya religion and Christianity in the frontier.”—Joel Palka, University of Illinois–Chicago

Editorial Reviews

"Intellectually stimulating, original in perspective, and engagingly written. Graham's book makes a major contribution to Maya archaeology, colonial history, and cultural studies."--The Americas "Bring[s] to life the churches and communities of Lamanai and Tipu, two of the tiniest and most forgotten places in Spanish America."--Latin American Research Review "Deserves great praise and should be read by anyone interested in Mesoamerican and Iberian worldviews."--Antiquity

From the Publisher