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Maximón
Maximón (), also called San Simón, is a Mayan deity and folk saint represented in various forms by the Maya peoples of several towns in the Guatemalan Highlands. Oral tradition of his creation and purpose in these communities is complex, diverse, and born of the ancient Maya traditions centuries ago. Origin The worship of Maximón is believed to have begun at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Maya. The designation of Maximón as a saint is the result of religious syncretism. The modern character of Maximón is thought by analysts to be a blend of several historical, biblical, and Mayan mythological figures. These include Pedro de Alvarado, Judas Iscariot, Saint Peter, and Mam. Maximón's appearance varies greatly by location. While he's popularly depicted as a man in a suit and hat, this isn't a constant. In Santiago Atitlán, he wears colorful garlands and scarves, while in Zunil, he wears sunglasses and a bandana. Mythology Maximón is said to represent both light ...
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Folk Saint
Folk saints are dead people or other spiritually powerful entities (such as indigenous spirits) venerated as saints, but not officially canonized. Since they are saints of the "folk", or the ''populus'', they are also called popular saints. Like officially recognized saints, folk saints are considered intercessors with God, but many are also understood to act directly in the lives of their devotees. Frequently, their actions in life as well as in death distinguish folk saints from their canonized counterparts: official doctrine would consider many of them sinners and false idols. Their ranks are filled by folk healers, indigenous spirits, and folk heroes. Folk saints occur throughout the Catholic world, and they are especially popular in Latin America, where most have small followings; a few are celebrated at the national or even international level. Origins In the pre-Christian Abrahamic tradition, the prophets and holy people who were honored with shrines were identified by p ...
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Folk Saint
Folk saints are dead people or other spiritually powerful entities (such as indigenous spirits) venerated as saints, but not officially canonized. Since they are saints of the "folk", or the ''populus'', they are also called popular saints. Like officially recognized saints, folk saints are considered intercessors with God, but many are also understood to act directly in the lives of their devotees. Frequently, their actions in life as well as in death distinguish folk saints from their canonized counterparts: official doctrine would consider many of them sinners and false idols. Their ranks are filled by folk healers, indigenous spirits, and folk heroes. Folk saints occur throughout the Catholic world, and they are especially popular in Latin America, where most have small followings; a few are celebrated at the national or even international level. Origins In the pre-Christian Abrahamic tradition, the prophets and holy people who were honored with shrines were identified by p ...
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Maya Peoples
The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical region. Today they inhabit southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. "Maya" is a modern collective term for the peoples of the region, however, the term was not historically used by the indigenous populations themselves. There was no common sense of identity or political unity among the distinct populations, societies and ethnic groups because they each had their own particular traditions, cultures and historical identity. It is estimated that seven million Maya were living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala, southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras have managed to maintain numerous remnants of their ancient cultural her ...
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San Andrés Itzapa
San Andrés Itzapa () is a town, with a population of 24,992 (2018 census), and a municipality of Chimaltenango (department), Chimaltenango, Guatemala. San Andrés Itzapa is in the eastern region of Chimaltenango, while the district capital lies to the north, Acatenango lies to the south and to the east is Parramos. The municipality cover an area of 63.7 km2, with a total population of 32,083. Origin of the name San Andrés Itzapa (Itzapa means flint) is an ancient town. The village is mentioned in the Annals of the Cakchiquels, written in 1571. The Spanish named the area "Itzapa y de San Andrés" in honor of their patron saint, the apostle San Andrés (Saint Andrew). The Spanish also called the area "Valle del Durazno" (Valley of the peaches), as the opuntia, prickly pears common in this area resembled the orchards of home. Organization Languages Both Spanish language, Spanish and Kaqchikel language, Kaqchiquel are spoken, although migration from other regions has brought ...
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Maya Religion
The traditional Maya or Mayan religion of the extant Maya peoples of Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and the Tabasco, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán states of Mexico is part of the wider frame of Mesoamerican religion. As is the case with many other contemporary Mesoamerican religions, it results from centuries of symbiosis with Roman Catholicism. When its pre-Hispanic antecedents are taken into account, however, traditional Maya religion has already existed for more than two and a half millennia as a recognizably distinct phenomenon. Before the advent of Christianity, it was spread over many indigenous kingdoms, all with their own local traditions. Today, it coexists and interacts with pan-Mayan syncretism, the 're-invention of tradition' by the Pan-Maya movement, and Christianity in its various denominations. Sources of traditional Mayan religion The most important source on traditional Maya religion is the Mayas themselves: the incumbents of positions w ...
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Cult Image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and Rome, and modern Hinduism, cult images in a temple may undergo a daily routine of being washed, dressed, and having food left for them. Processions outside the temple on special feast days are often a feature. Religious images cover a wider range of all types of images made with a religious purpose, subject, or connection. In many contexts "cult image" specifically means the most important image in a temple, kept in an inner space, as opposed to what may be many other images decorating the temple. The term idol is a pejorative term for a cult image, except in Indian English, where it is widely accepted as a neutral English term for a murti or cult image. Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship or excessive veneration of (mainly) cult im ...
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Zunil
Zunil () is a town and municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala with a surface area of .Zunil at Inforpressca
The town of Zunil is located from the city of , on the bank of the .Cattelan 2004, p.36. Zunil has an altitude of approximately . The population of the munici ...
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Zunil SanSimon
Zunil () is a town and municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala with a surface area of .Zunil at Inforpressca
The town of Zunil is located from the city of , on the bank of the .Cattelan 2004, p.36. Zunil has an altitude of approximately . The population of the municipality ...
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Mam (Maya Mythology)
Mam 'grandfather' or 'grandson', is a pan-Mayan kinship term as well as a term of respect referring to ancestors and deities. In Classic period inscriptions, the word ''mam'' appears to be used mainly to introduce the name of a grandfather, grandson, or ancestor, often a king. Ethnographically, ''Mam'' refers to several aged Maya deities: *(i) In Kekchi-speaking Belize, 'Mam' is a general designation for the mountain spirits; four Mams were specifically associated with the four corners of the earth (see Bacab).Thompson, Maya History and Religion 1970. * (ii) In the Kekchi-speaking Alta Verapaz of Guatemala, one of the Mams is a greatly feared mountain spirit associated with earthquakes and inundations. An image of this Mam was apparently buried during the Holy Week. *(iii) Among the Huaxtec Mayas (Huastec people), the Mams or Mamlabs are earth deities; there are three or four of them, the most important one (Muxiʼ) being the violent originator of the rainy season. *(iv) Among the ...
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Latin America
Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived from Latin — are predominantly spoken. The term was coined in the nineteenth century, to refer to regions in the Americas that were ruled by the Spanish, Portuguese and French empires. The term does not have a precise definition, but it is "commonly used to describe South America, Central America, Mexico, and the islands of the Caribbean." In a narrow sense, it refers to Spanish America plus Brazil (Portuguese America). The term "Latin America" is broader than categories such as ''Hispanic America'', which specifically refers to Spanish-speaking countries; and ''Ibero-America'', which specifically refers to both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries while leaving French and British excolonies aside. The term ''Latin America'' was f ...
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Folk Catholicism
Folk Catholicism can be broadly described as various ethnic expressions and practices of Catholicism intermingled with aspects of folk religion. Practices have varied from place to place, and may at times contradict the official doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as well as overall Christianity. Description Some forms of folk Catholic practices are based on syncretism with non-Catholic or non-Christian beliefs or religions. Some of these folk Catholic forms have come to be identified as separate religions, as is the case with Caribbean and Brazilian syncretisms between Catholicism and West African religions, which include Haitian Vodou, Cuban Santería, and Brazilian Candomblé. Similarly complex syncretisms between Catholic practice and indigenous or Native American belief systems, as are common in Maya communities of Guatemala and Quechua communities of Peru to give just two examples, are typically not named as separate religions; their practitioners generall ...
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Santiago Atitlán
Santiago Atitlán (, from Nahuatl ''atitlan'', "at the water", in Tz'utujil ''Tz'ikin Jaay'', "birdhouse") is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The town is situated on Lake Atitlán, which has an elevation of . The town sits on a bay of Lake Atitlán between two volcanoes. Volcán San Pedro rises to west of the town and Volcan Toliman rises to southeast of the town. Volcán Atitlán, with an elevation of , is south-southeast of the town. Santiago Atitlan is southwest of Panajachel across the lake. Major highways reach Lake Atitlán at San Lucas Toliman and Panajachel. A road links Santiago to San Lucas Tolliman. Boats connect the numerous communities around the lake. The majority of the residents are indigenous Maya. It was the capital of the Tz'utujil people in pre-Columbian times and its name was Chuitinamit. Santiago Atitlán is the home of the Cojolya Weaving Center and Museum, founded by the Cojolya Association of Maya Women Weavers. The museum ...
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