Document Analysis

History 3346

SHAWN ENGLAND
November 13, 2014
Authored by: Michelle Arancibia

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Introduction
In the three primary documents, the indigenous people of Peru, Colombia, and Mexico all
practiced pagan religion. The three documents made it seem like the three countries practiced the
same religion. All three had idols that were worshipped, including the bones of their ancestors,
and temples or holy houses. The indigenous of the three countries worshipped the same gods but
under different names. Each worshipped the Sun, moon, stars and ancestors, but from those
primary gods each deviated from the main, and worshiped other gods and idols as well.
In Peru, the indigenous people had many pagan rituals, and many pagan gods. Most of
these were for a good harvest and successful births, not to mention fertility rituals that were used,
not only for fertility in women, but also for fertility in the soil. In Colombia, the indigenous
people worshipped many idols and bones of old chiefs; they had many holy houses and temples
in the village. Finally, in Mexico, the indigenous people worshipped their animal counterparts,
the animal being them, and them being the animal. They also had many idols that had to do with
harvest and fertility.
In the three examples, the underlying theme that revolves around the pagan religion is
nature. Nature ruled their lives, so much so that their gods all had to do with nature in one way or
another. They were one with nature, they respected nature, and they feared nature. The sun gave
them light and life; the storms gave them violence, fire kept them safe in the night, and warm in
the cold, and gave them the means to cook their food as well as many other usages that kept them
all alive. Fire was also life. To the indigenous people, their gods and their religion was very
important to them, as is shown in the documents.

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In the three documents, the Spaniards all tried to get rid of the indigenous belief system
by burning the things that were worshipped, by exacting consequences to idolaters, and by
banning pagan practices, making sure all this happened by having a priest watch over the
indigenous people. The Spaniards were convinced that the indigenous people were worshipping
the devil and that all pagan religions were the work of the devil. They were convinced that the
pagan priests or shamans were witches and sorcerers, and especially in Mexico, with the
Nuhuales, that these people had given their souls to the devil.
This paper shall look at the three documents separately and from them glean information
on how the Indians practiced their religion, the nature of the religion itself, and how the
Spaniards tried to stop these practices.
Peru
The Peruvian primary document is a book that was published in 1621 by Father Pablo
Joseph de Arriaga, who was a missionary in the Jesuit order and a teacher. He wrote the book to
record information that was learnt on the religion of the Incas through ecclesiastical visits, as
well as to record the ecclesiastical inspections and the court proceedings. He wrote this book to
inform future missionaries of the religious practices and customs of the Indians of Peru.
The religious practices of the indigenous people of Peru consisted of many things. They
worshiped many gods and had many idols that represented these gods. To appease these gods, of
which there was, the sun, the moon, stars, lightning, the sea who is called mamacocha, and the
earth who is called mamapacha, huacas of varying kinds including, conpac, huanca, or chichic.
There was also household gods that were called conopas, or zaramamas, caullamas and ylla or
divining stones. They worship pacarinas, which is the clan of whom they are descended from,
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and malquis, which are the mummies and bones of their ancestors. They have shamans who
perform many of the rituals with or for them, who also act as priest, taking their confessions and
absolving them of guilt, and as doctors, relieving them of malady. They have many festivals that
are doubled as rituals to appease the gods. They have their own places of afterlife, Huarochaca
and Upaimarca. Twins were called chuchu and babies born feet first called chacpa. Idols were
made of precious metals, cloths, and other materials.1
As is shown, pagan religion in Peru had many different gods and idols, ceremonies and
festivals but it all comes down to a few simple aspects that were always being revered; the earth,
to make a good and plentiful harvest; the house, to keep safe and with plenty of food; and
procreation or life, to have children born safe and kept alive. These practices were wholly about
revering nature and making sacrifices to nature to keep their crops well, their home and hearth
well, and to be able to live well under the protection of the gods. It all came down to survival,
and concrete means of survival.
The Spaniards tried to stop the indigenous people from practicing their religion by
destroying any and all idols, as well as by putting edicts out banning the indigenous from
practicing their pagan religion. They would burn, destroy, and scatter secretly the idols, and they
would have a priest watch over them, making sure that they do not relapse into idolatry. They
made the consequences high for any who do relapse.
Colombia
The Colombian primary document is a document on the court proceedings that was
happening between October 25 and November 2 in the year 1595. The document records the
proceedings done by Judge Egas de Guzman in the extirpation of idolatry in the town of Iguaque;
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this document was recorded by a notary who remained nameless. He wrote the document to
record information that was being said, done, and learnt in the court proceedings. It is therefore a
legal document that was held in the highest form of law and truth.
The religious practices of the indigenous people of Colombia consisted of many things.
They held shrines and temples that were known as cucas or holy houses. They worshipped idols
made of cotton or precious metals and stones, these idols were often small figurines made of
cheap unrefined gold that were wrapped in cloth and that may contain small emeralds that were
often worthless, they also revered the bones of old caciques or chiefs. In a pagan rite, the
caciques were probably buried with tunjos and other shows of wealth, including blankets made
of cotton, and fine quality gold.2
This document never specifies what these idols were used for, but many of these were
found with dirt or in dirt and the tunjos were filled with beans and other agricultural foods. It
might be inferred that the idols were used for agricultural reasons and that the bones and the
things found with the bones have to do only with reverence and respect, as well as show of
wealth, but the nature of the pagan religion in Colombia is never stated in this document, nor can
it be truly inferred. The notary and the proceedings of this document only states that these were
found and extirpated from the community.
The Spanish extirpated the community of its pagan religion by confiscating items
associated with the religion and burning them. They levied heavy punishments to those that
relapsed into idolatry again. The Spanish prove to be as ignorant as ever in saying that the
temples and shrines were dedicated to the devil, or maybe it is their way of morally taking
golden items that were of worth without feeling hypocritical. The Spanish in this document are

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not priests or missionaries, they tortured the Indians to get their answers legally, and they took
any items that were worth something, while burning the rest.
Mexico
The Mexican primary document is a Treatise recording the religious practices of the
Indians. It was written in 1629 by Hernando Ruiz de Alarcon, a priest who was appointed
ecclesiastical judge for the inquisition. This document was written to inform the inquisition of
idolatry and superstition in his region.
The religious practices of the indigenous people of Mexico consisted of many things. All
things of and in nature were revered by the indigenous people, but the most important aspect of
nature is fire. Fire was the most important and venerated god in their religion, it is part of
everyday life including birth, and death. Fire would be used in the baptismal practice of giving
the baby his nahuatal name. The Nahua is another important pagan practice in this document.
Nahuales are creatures, like a jaguar, that are linked to a person; the animal and the person are
one. This is to say that man is one with nature, and nature one with man. They also venerate
huacas and hallucinogenic plants.3
The author of this document, Alarcon, attributed everything he heard about the paganism
going on in his region to devil worship. The shamans were witches who had made pacts with the
devil, the plants that were venerated were gifts from the devil, in which, when consumed, the
devil and the shamans would create more pacts. He was especially frightened by the stories he
heard of the nahaules, he continued to attribute this ability to the devil. The devil had made a link
between the animal and the (WO) man, and had made it possible for that person to turn into or
feel the animal, as if they shared one soul.
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Conclusion
The Spanish were very closed-minded when it came to pagan religion, and shamans in
particular, calling them witches and sorcerers that had made a pact with the devil. They seemed
frightened of these new pagan religions, and retaliated in a like manner.
The indigenous religion believed that to dominate nature and to get what you what from
it, be it rain, sun, fertile earth, water, that you must respect nature and give back what is taken,
venerate it or simply sing it praises. The earth sustains life, and life must then sustain the earth.
These three documents show the nature of the pagan religious practices, what the
indigenous people venerated, and how the Spanish sought to eradicate their religion. The Spanish
would torture the people to get what they wanted, they would ban the practice of their religion,
and they would create harsh punishments to those whom continued to practice their religion.

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