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6.4: Religious Syncretism and Popular Religiosity

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    324873
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    Religion, particularly Roman Catholicism, is a profound influence on the Latinx community. However, Latinx religious practice is often characterized by syncretism—the blending of different religious traditions. This is evident in the widespread devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is not only a Catholic Marian apparition but also a powerful symbol of mestizo identity, fusing Indigenous and Spanish Catholic beliefs (Elizondo 1997).

    Beyond institutional Catholicism, popular religiosity—folk religious practices existing alongside formal doctrine—flourishes. These include home altars, celebrations for quinceañeras (a young woman’s fifteenth birthday), Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and various traditional pilgrimages. Día de los Muertos, for instance, has roots in Indigenous Mesoamerican rituals and has been transformed in the U.S. context into a public celebration of memory and cultural pride, even influencing mainstream American culture (Marchi 2009). Furthermore, the rapid growth of Protestantism, particularly Pentecostalism, among Latinxs represents another dynamic shift, often tied to community-building and social mobility (Espinosa, Elizondo, and Miranda 2003).


    6.4: Religious Syncretism and Popular Religiosity is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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