Conquest as Revival in the Sixteenth-Century Maya Highlands of Guatemala

This talk explores how religious change in small highland Maya communities offers a framework for negotiation between external innovations and traditional ritual practices during the Spanish conquest. Historical and archaeological research carried out at Chiantla Viejo in western Guatemala shows that the Spanish conquest triggered a revitalization movement that acted as a framework for both the introduction of Christianity and the continuity of core Maya religious concepts and practices.

Sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of Anthropology, and the Latin American Studies program.