Religion, specifically (but not exclusively) Roman Catholicism, is a prevalent feature of Latin American culture, and one of the most visible legacies of Spanish and Portuguese colonialism. It is often deeply embedded in daily life, and as such is “popular” as well as “official.” Moreover, Catholicism can take many forms, some of which are novel creations of ordinary people, others of which may be hybrids that show the influence of older and perhaps alternative beliefs and practices. The Church’s teachings have been appropriated and interpreted in specific ways in different contexts, which is part of what has ensured their continued relevance and importance. Yet sometimes also the Church finds itself competing against belief systems or rituals that it sees as threats to its authority.
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- Canals, Roger. "The Mirror Effect: Seeing and Being Seen in the Cult of María Lionza (Venezuela)". Visual Studies 33.2 (2018): 161-171.
- González Viaña, Eduardo. "Sarita Colonia Comes Flying"
Santería
Sarita Colonia videos
Here are two videos, both taken from the TV (and both in Spanish), about Sarita Colonia:
La leyenda de Sarita Colonia:
Sucedió en el Perú: Sarita Colonia (in five parts):
María Lionza videos
4.The many faces of a Veneuelan goddess (2007), A documentary by Roger Canals. Note that, from around minute 36, this includes footage of (parts of) the “double possession” of Barbara that Canals discusses in his article:
Two brief videos in English about María Lionza…
Celebrating María Lionza | The New York Times:
Conjuring the Dead at Venezuela’s Fire Ceremony (from Vice):
And the first half (the second seems not to be available) of a much longer documentary in Spanish…
Maria Lionza DOCUMENTAL PARTE 1:
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- Canals, Roger. "A Goddess in Motion: Visual Creativity in the Cult of María Lionza (Introduction)"
- Dawson, María Teresa. "The Concept of Popular Religion: A Literature Review". Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research Volume 7.1 (2001): 105-132.
- Graziano, Frank. Cultures of Devotion: Folk Saints of Spanish America
- Hernández Lefranc, Harold. "Ni rica ni famosa: Sarita Colonia en la representación pequeño-burguesa ilustrada de Lima, Perú"
- How does religion become "official"? How might this vary from country to country?
- What is the relationship between "popular" religion and "official" religion?
- Specifically, what is the relationship (or what are the relationships) between popular religion and Catholicism in Latin America?
- What are the characteristics of popular religion compared to official religion?
- González Viaña depicts a social world in which there are many different sources of authority and knowledge. How to they conflict and/or overlap?
- What are the possible meanings or significance of "double vision" in the passage from González Viaña? Why does the narrator see it as a "sickness" of which he has to be cured?
- What is the role of performance and spectacle in the María Lionza cult, and how does this compare with other religious practices?
- How might we think about the role of mediums and media in the ceremonies dedicated to María Lionza, as described by Roger Canals?
- What are some key differences and similarities between the veneration of Sarita Colonia and the María Lionza cult?
Religion questions
What are the cultural factors and induces that might affect who we idolize in such a way as students in Vancouver in 2021?
In your opinion, do you think there is a place for something like a camera in religious rituals like the one described in Canals’ article?
how did you find Canals’ writing? Methodology?
do you think that it matters how snakes are depicted in religions/belief systems? Why?
To what extent culture shapes religion? How much do you think a religion changes from country to country? And to what ends could spiritist leaders use their influence?
Why Sarita Colonia? Why would they have picked her of all people to become a saint? Do you think it was just random popular imagination that canonized Sarita Colonia or is there a reason behind it?
what are some parallels that stood out to you while reading about the traditions and rituals of the cult of Maria Lionza and do you think your own religion had any impact on why these particulars stuck out to you?
What is the process by which some individuals, like Sarita Colonia, become saints?
Why is it important, for the people who have faith in these practices, to learn from those who have been possessed?
what defines a cult and a religion? The cult of María Lionza adapts aspects of Christianity and it is widely performed across Venezuela and other Latin American countries, so why isn’t it referred to as a religion? Finally, the term religion doesn’t have the negative connotation that cult does. Could referring to it as a cult give them a bad reputation?
Notes from class discussion (March 3, 2021)
