What are religions comparisons from ancient Maya to modern Maya? What rituals and practices have been adapted to meet with their new catholicism views?
The term used most often to describe modern Maya religion is "syncretism" — meaning the blending of two different religious systems in a way that best fits the current world view of the practitioner. In other words, Pre-Hispanic Maya culture was not replaced by Catholicism in all cases. Certain rituals and beliefs survived, but were modified to fit within a world view that could accommodate both the “old” and the “new”.
For instance, some Maya today still go to shamans (native healers, in Yucatan called hmen). But those shamans in their ceremonies might pray to both Maya spirits and Catholic Saints for healing and guidance.
Ceremonies that endure in some rural Maya communities include the “Cha Chaac” where hmenob’ (the plural for hmen) pray to the rain god, and the spirits of the forest.
In the first link below, be sure to both read the full article, but also click on the link to the right for an audio file. It is an audio recording of a Maya ceremony that was conducted for the ancestors as archaeologists were entering a previously sealed cave. The second link is a small clip from a similar ceremony conducted decades later. Note that the hmen is speaking in Maya, but often uses the term “Dios” (Spanish for “God”). Here you can see the syncretism involved in modern Maya ritual.
Ancient Mayans used to sacrifice virgins; modern Mayans worship a virgin!
References :
They say the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross compatible with their human sacrifice.
References :
Modern Maya while largely Roman Catholic practice a version of their original faith with the absorption of some Catholic ideas and Gods (the most prominent example of this is the "Black Christ). There are a few groups of modern Maya who still practice a largely unchanged version of their original faith. I’ve attached an interesting article about modern Maya religion (the article talks mostly about Chiapas)
References :
http://www.archaeology.org/9707/etc/maya.html
The term used most often to describe modern Maya religion is "syncretism" — meaning the blending of two different religious systems in a way that best fits the current world view of the practitioner. In other words, Pre-Hispanic Maya culture was not replaced by Catholicism in all cases. Certain rituals and beliefs survived, but were modified to fit within a world view that could accommodate both the “old” and the “new”.
For instance, some Maya today still go to shamans (native healers, in Yucatan called hmen). But those shamans in their ceremonies might pray to both Maya spirits and Catholic Saints for healing and guidance.
Ceremonies that endure in some rural Maya communities include the “Cha Chaac” where hmenob’ (the plural for hmen) pray to the rain god, and the spirits of the forest.
In the first link below, be sure to both read the full article, but also click on the link to the right for an audio file. It is an audio recording of a Maya ceremony that was conducted for the ancestors as archaeologists were entering a previously sealed cave. The second link is a small clip from a similar ceremony conducted decades later. Note that the hmen is speaking in Maya, but often uses the term “Dios” (Spanish for “God”). Here you can see the syncretism involved in modern Maya ritual.
References :
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0411/feature2/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2HlaTDFhf8