Continuity And Changes In Latin American Culture

Between the year 1450 and the current time in Latin America and the Caribbean, religious beliefs and practices have been impacted by changes within culture and the exploration by foreign travelers. Europeans conquered this region and introduced Christianity to the natives in the 1400s. The polytheistic beliefs of the Aztec and Inca Empires did not continue due to the introduction of Catholicism to this area which continued as the dominant religion. Some religious practices of the Aztec, Inca, and Africans, such as human sacrifices, were ended; whereas other traditional practices were incorporated into the newly introduced religions. A major change occurred in Latin America in that the inhabitants shifted from their original practice of polythesitic and animistic beliefs to widely adopting monotheistic Christian faith. Although the

Many aspects of traditional religious practices were ceased as Christianity grew steadily more popular. The Aztec and Inca Empires, for example, each believed in gods of nature specifically a sun god. Human and animal sacrifices played a large part in their rituals and customs. These were practiced without question until explorers and conquistadors from Western Europe came to search for gold and silver for their governments. Doing so transformed the Latin America and the Caribbean world. These foreign men encouraged the natives to blend Christian religious practices with some of their traditional beliefs and convinced them to discontinue others. The Europeans rooted out the polytheistic or pagan beliefs and tried to enforce their own religion on the helpless natives.