Syncretism

This map serves to provide a better look at the religious syncretism prevalent in Tlaxcala, a smaller Mexican state. The red place markers represent all cities with names stemming from Catholic roots, such as San, Santo, and Santiago. The yellow markers show other cities without Christian names. As you can see, there is a very even spread of yellow and red across the state which shows how pervasive the syncretism is. Religious syncretism is the mixing of different belief systems, usually following rapid expansion or colonization. Latin America became one of the worlds most syncretic regions as Europeans endeavored to promote the association between the Indian and Catholic gods to the natives. The blending of the two belief systems continued with native religious festivals being held on the same day as Catholic celebrations. Christ came to be called by the same titles as the aztec god Huitzilopochtli. The Spaniards also constructed churches on top of ancient pyramids, like you see at the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies, as well as temples and other holy native places. The Spanish, unknowingly, created conditions under which the natives could continue to worship their same gods and holy places while appearing to celebrate Catholic deities.