Figure 1.-- Guatemala like other Latin Amerrican countries has a Catholic foundation, although Protestantyism is now very important. Easter is the main Christian feastival. In many Catholic countries there are imporant celebrations on Good Friday. Here we have a Good Friday procession in Antigua, the colonial capital of Guatemala (March 27, 1959). Barely visible is the volcano in the background.

The Guatemalan Highlands were the birthplace of the Mayan civilization. The Mayans had a highly developed religion which played a major role in the society. The Popal Moo (Mayan creation epic) centers on the Maize God, the deity at the center of the Mayan cosmos. He is killed by the Lords of Death, but rescued by his children, the Hero Twins. The Spanish conquest was launched shortly after the conquest of Mexico (1519-21). Pedro de Alvarado moved south into Guatemala 1524, commanding a mixed force of Spanish conquistadors and native allies (mostly from Tlaxcala and Cholula). He dis not find the gold and silver he had hoped to seize, but a major goal was to wipe out all traces of Mayan religion and Christianize the population. Unlike the Aztecs, however, there was no quick victory. The Maya were quickly defeated in the Highlands, but it took more than a century to completely defeat them (1697). Mayan documents which were mostly religious in nature were destroyed. The Amer-Indian population was forced to ostensibly convert to Roman Catholic Christianity. The Inquisition was active and only Catholic immigrants, mostly Spanish, were allowed into the colony. The Amer-Indians as was the Spanish practice were converted into landless peasants working on large estates owned by colonial land owners. This meant that the Amer-Indian peasantry was poorly educated, largely illiterate and had only a minimal understanding of Catholicism. Overt practice of Mayan religion was suppressed, but folk practices persisted. Guatemala remained entirely Catholic throughout the colonial period. The Church was a major part of the conservative colonial structure. Revolution against colonial rule began early in he 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars, but did not reach Guatemala for some time (1823). The new Latin American republics, including Guatemala adopted freedom of religion, but the population remained almost entirely Catholic until after World War II (1939-45), at least overtly. Christianity continues to be the principal religion in modern Guatemala, but there has been a major shift. Many priests became increasingly liberal and willing to reach out to Amer-Indian population, in many cases moving way from their religious foundation. The assassination of Archbishop Juan José Gerardi Conedera was a critical event in Guatemalan politics and religious life (1998). Like Pope Francis there was shift toward socialism in Latin American Catholic churches and a failure to understand the powerful wealth generating force of capitalism. Ironically, in sharp contrast to Chinese Communists of ali people, they seem unaware of the failure of socialism to generate prosperous economies. The Roman Catholic Church continues to be the major church in the country. About half of the population identifies as Catholic, however, this often means more of a cultural than a religious orientation. Many who identify as Catholics do not actively practice the religion or attend church. Many Catholic churches are largely empty. Protestant Christianity in Guatemala is now the second largest religion in the country and far more dynamic than the Catholic church. They are, however, divided into several denominations. Nearly 40 percent of the Guatemalan population now identifies as Protestant. The first Protestant missionary to reach Guatemala was Frederick Crowe (1843). He was expelled by President Rafael Carrera (1845). In Guatemala there was was a a conflict between Liberals and conservative who strongly supported the Church. This occurred in many other of the Latin American republics. Carrera has been described as a Roman Catholicism fanatic. Gradually attitudes changed. Liberal President Rufino Barrios invited several Presbyterian Methodist, and Baptist missionaries to Guatemala to undermine the political power of the Catholic Church (1882). While this has political consequences, few Guatemalans conveyed to Protestantism. This only changed with the growth of the evangelical movement in the United States. Many churches promoted missioners in Latin America, including Guatemala. Guatemalan Protestants are especially prominent in the northern highlands and among the Mayan population. Unlike the modern trend in Catholicism, Protestants are much more focused on religious worship. Protestants in much of Latin America tend to resist the trend toward sdocialism in contradst to Catholics. We are not sure about Guatemalan Protestants. There is also a non religious segment, although rather small. This would include atheists, agnostics, and others. This segment has been estimated at about 10 percent. There are also small numbers of many other regions, including Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Traditional Maya Religion, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.

Created: 7:58 AM 3/14/2022
Last updated: 7:58 AM 3/14/2022