Magic, witchcraft, and religion: historical and cultural perspectives

Syncretism refers to the blending of religious and cultural traditions, and is a term most commonly applied to the Americas. Although there are more famous syncretic traditions, the ones Nash focuses on blend Mayan with Christian religion. Within the overall context of syncretism, Nash presents the different types of passion plays that have emerged in disparate Mayan communities. With each of these examples, Nash shows how syncretic traditions evolve at once organically but also deliberately as each community chooses which symbols or elements to stress and which to leave by the wayside. In the Amatenango del Valle, Chiapas version, Judas Iscariot becomes closely identified with the devil who prevents the corn plants from growing, while Mary distracts him with liquor so that Jesus can save the fields of corn (Nash 319). In Santiago Matatlan in Guatemala, on the other hand, Judas becomes Maximon, one of the Mayan animal spirits, a powerful magician and also a “patron of romantic love” (Nash 321). Doing so emphasizes the dualistic nature of both Judas and Maximon, allowing for the clever juxtaposition of the non-dualistic Mayan with the dualistic Christian worldview. Therefore, the reverence for Maximon embodies the processes of syncretism in general.
The Tio of the Bolivian Quechua has a similar role and function of the Mayan Maximon. Both serve as what can be considered trickster archetypes, who occupy liminal spaces between the sacred and the profane. In both cases, too, the blending of various characteristics within the figure signals subversion of colonial oppression. Whereas the worship of a non-syncretic Maximon or Tio would be construed as idol worship, those figures become cloaked in Catholic or Christian imagery. This way, Tio and Maximon can be worshipped discreetly within the rubric of a Christian worldview that venerates Jesus too.
Works Cited
Nash, June. “The Passion Play in Maya Indian Communities.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 10, No. 3, April 1968, pp. 318-2327.