This text provides descriptions and interpretations of religious ideas, its aim is to illustrate something of the range of religious beliefs and practices through cases that are exemplary. The first part describes the religious views of the Aztec, Maya and Inca, dating to the time before contact with Europeans. The rest of the text treats contemporary cases from the major cultural-geographic areas of Latin America. Whether the focus is on myth, architecture, ritual celebrations or shamanic practice, each essay provides a religious profile of the culture in question.
Author Biography
Lawrence E. Sullivan is Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University.
