Delfín's Shamanism Class S2020

Comparisons Between Curanderismo and Our Readings By: Loraine Guerrero How Healers Came to Be In Curanderismo, they largely promote the idea that everyone has the potential to be their own healer. Thus, the way their healers come to be is dependent on what the person does, what they realize and believe in, and them being guided on how to use their new powers. Since, everyone has the potential to be a healer for themselves and others, other people who are not necessarily Latin can still be a healer as well. Another reading that also displays a similar idea is in the "Hell and Back" reading, written by Kira Salak. We read about how an individual named Hamilton who is from California becomes a shamanic healer. His journey started with him calling out to his God. After doing this, he was able to recognize that other spirits and worlds exist out there. By listening to what these spirits were telling him, he went to South America and sought out the guidance of shamans. A...

First off, apologies for posting this later than expected. Life, my work situation, and technical difficulties all played a part. So, what exactly is “syncretism”? You’ve read the article, and you may have heard some definitions already from my group-mates. But since our presentations have been split up by the circumstances, you’ll have to hear a little more from me. Sorry, bear with me here. Basically, syncretism seems to be a blending of different points of view. Different cultures, languages or religions meet, and as they influence each other, a sort of hybrid is born. For anthropologists, the word can have a lot of baggage and different connotations - see the assigned article by Charles Stewart for a detailed breakdown of all this. But there are two main interpretations that I took away from that article: syncretism can either be 1. “a term of abuse applied to castigate,” for instance, colonial churches who allowed their Christianity to be “indigenized” r...

References: Norget, Kristin. Days of Death, Days of Life: Ritual in the Popular Culture of Oaxaca . Columbia University Press, 2012. Agren, David. “Mexico's Day of the Dead Festival Rises from the Graveyard and into Pop Culture.” The Guardian , Guardian News and Media, 27 Oct. 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/27/mexico-day-of-the-dead-festival-mainstream.

Soul Celebration: Celebrants get into the  spirit of Day of the Dead  Death happens to all of us, but the way it is greeted and what is taken to mean differs radically from place to place. In Oaxaca, Mexico the community believes the gates of heaven open up on November 1st-November 2nd to celebrate the death of their loved ones. The cultural wealth of this tradition resides on the fact that it not only blends Mexico’s ancient mythologies with European Catholic traditions, but also, it combines all fundamental elements of Mexico’s rich culture: family, food, music, arts and crafts, and a strong sense of community. Mexico’s Perspective on Life and Death As practised by the indigenous communities of Mexico, el Día de los Muertos, commemorates the transitory return to Earth of deceased relatives and loved ones. The festivities take place each year at the end of October to the beginning of November. Disney's film "Coco" beautifully portrays a mosai...

These are weird times. I’ll admit, when this all started, I had high hopes that this would be easy. When putting together revised syllabi, I really tried to be mindful of the circumstances that might make school hard for my students during the pandemic:   ·       Family members to take care of ·       Shared computers ·       Revised work schedules ·       Unreliable internet This is why I opted for asynchronous classes, relaxed deadlines, etc. Somehow, in the process, I didn’t think about how this would affect me. I’m a single mom to two boys. This means I’m now a homeschool mom – a job I never signed up for. There are now three of us trying to get work and school done on one good laptop and a very unreliable desktop – and there are not enough hours in the day for any of it. We’re figuring it out as we go along. Over the weekend I crammed a tiny office into my ...

THE SYMBOLISM BEHIND THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE  By Emily Valle            INSPIRED BY THE ORIGIN MYTH                                The original art of the Virgin of Guadalupe is directly inspired by the myth of her encounter with Juan Diego. In the year 1531, the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego on the Hill of Tepeyac. She commanded him to inform the archbishop that she wanted a church built in her honor. After several failed attempts, Juan Diego wasn't able to achieve her request because the archbishop demanded to be shown proof of the Virgen's presence. Therefore, through a miracle, she made roses appear in the desert and she told Juan Diego to collect these roses and present them to the archbishop of Mexico. Juan Diego did as he was told and when he unveiled the roses to the bishop, an image of the Virgin was imprinted in his 'tilma' (cloak). Soon after...

Syncretic Hybridization Joshua Kwalk

The Virgin of Guadalupe: Background By  Douglas Caballero  The Virgin of Guadalupe: Origin The Virgin of Guadalupe also known as Virgin Mary made her appearance in front of St. Juan Diego in 1531. It is said she appeared in front of him and told him to build a church in her honor. He had failed in his mission a few times until she performed a miracle. She told him to collect roses, when he appeared in front of an audience he opened his cloak and the roses fell out in an image of her. This lead to him deciding to build a shrine for her. People doubt the stories since there is no evidence of apparition until 1648. Also people say Juan Diego was approached in 1534 not 1531 and doesn’t speak of Mary in his writings. Nonetheless there is prove dating back to at least 1556 a shrine has been built for Mary at a chapel in Tepeyac.  The Virgin of Guadalupe: 16 th and 17 th century During the 16 th and 17 th century her populari...