Native Latin American Religion

Many of the tensions in the indigenous areas of Latin America are due to the globalization processes in the region and the response of local and communal identities to these global pressures. The religious aspect of this tension is manifest in the relationship between indigenous belief systems and the established Christian churches. There is a dynamic and ambiguous relationship between the indigenous communities and the religious groups (both Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant) that circulate through the country, in no small part because of global influences. In some cases, the response is an increasing vindication of the rights of indigenous peoples and a recognition of their cultural and political identities.