Latin American civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Latin American civilizations - Essay Example United States of America. It comprises twenty independent states, six European (France & Netherlands) dependences and two US dependences. According to the American Heritage College Dictionary (3rd edition) the word â€Å"Latin† is derived from the word â€Å"Latium† which refers to an ancient country of west-central Italy bordering on the Tyrrhenian sea dominated by Roman Empire after the 3rd century B. C. As the region is defined with its European ancestry so the people of Latin America do not necessarily feel identify with the region. They tend to identify them with their national identities rather than with a Latin American regional identity.The population of Latin America is an amalgam of ethnic groups with varying composition of European, Amerindian or African origin.The Latin America has remained the home of many indigenous peoples and civilizations, including the notable Maya, Aztecs and Inca, before the colonialism in late15th century. They followed diverse religious thoughts and practices. Following is an account of some important civilization religious thoughts and practices.Mayan Religious Practices.The Maya civilization emerged in Mesoamerica – a region extending south and east central Mexico to include parts of Guatemala, Nicaragua , Honduras and Belize in early 1800 AD and flourished around 300-900 AD. Quiche was the mother tongue of all Mesoamerican and it is still spoken by a large number of Guatemalan indigenous people . The Mayan people had spectacular art and architectural skills with sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. The Mayan religious school of thought was based on the cyclical nature of time. Popol Vuh was their sacred book and Mexico and Guatemala was their main religious Centers. Like many ancient civilizations three aspects of cosmos i. e; the underworld, the sky and the earth, were the key features of Mayan religious belief. The caves, mountains and natural wells were considered extremely important geographical features as they were seen connecting the upper and the nether worlds. The influence of Cosmo vision was obvious even in their city planning and architecture. Mayan underworld was dominated by the aged Maya gods of death and putrefaction. The sun god dominated the Mayan idea of the sky. The night sky was considered to be a window showing all supernatural doings. They believed that world had infinite space and it had flat and square shape. They also worshiped the circle, which symbolized perfection or the balancing of forces. The maize god was considered to be the central figure of Mayan religious philosophy and maize life - cycle lay at the heart of Maya people. According to Mayan belief all gods were unbounded and associated with each others. The qualities of these gods and their attributes changed with the passage of time and with cultural influences from other Mesoamerican groups. An important characteristic of Mesoamerican religion was the dualism among the divine entities. The gods symbolized the confrontation between opposite poles: the positive, exemplified by light, the masculine, force, war, the sun, etc.; and the negative, exemplified by darkness, the feminine, repose, peace, etc. Good and bad features were not permanents traits of gods (Maya civilization, 1) . Philosophically, the Maya believed that knowing the past meant knowing the cyclical influences that create the present, and by knowing the influences of the present one can see the cyclical influences of the future. Aztec Religious Thoughts and Practices The Aztecs civilization refers to the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people under the control of the Mexico. The Aztec Empire was founded in postclassical era in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in central Mexico with Tenochtitlan as its capital. The basic theme of Aztec belief was Ometecuhtli - a Supreme Creator, who, according to