Mixtec Evangelicals

Mixtec Evangelicals

By Mary I. O'Connor

Book Description

In the mountains of Oaxaca, ancient Mixtec communities face a profound spiritual transformation that reveals the complex intersection of faith, economics, and cultural identity. Mary I. O'Connor presents a deeply researched exploration of how migration and religious conversion are reshaping indigenous life in ways that speak to universal questions about tradition, change, and belonging.

Through careful ethnographic study of four Mixtec villages, O'Connor traces the journeys of community members who leave their ancestral homes seeking work in northern Mexico and the United States. These travelers return not only with economic resources but with new evangelical Protestant beliefs that challenge the Catholic ceremonies and social customs that have long anchored village life.

The resulting tensions illuminate fundamental questions about spiritual authenticity and community bonds. Some villages respond with resistance, even expelling converts, while others find ways to accommodate these new religious expressions. O'Connor demonstrates how global economic forces create the conditions for these spiritual migrations, showing that religious change cannot be separated from the material realities that drive people from their homelands.

This comparative study offers valuable insights for anyone interested in how communities navigate religious transformation while preserving cultural identity. The book reveals how ancient societies adapt when their own members become agents of change, bringing outside spiritual influences into traditional spaces. For readers exploring themes of faith, migration, and cultural resilience, this ethnography provides a nuanced understanding of how globalization reshapes not just economies but the very soul of communities.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)

📄 Length: 272 pages

What You'll Discover

  • ✓ Explore Indians of mexico, religion
  • ✓ Explore Return migration
  • ✓ Explore Mexico, emigration and immigration
  • ✓ Explore SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General
  • ✓ Explore Anthropology
  • ✓ Explore General
  • ✓ Explore SOCIAL SCIENCE
  • ✓ Explore History

Topics Covered

Indians of mexico, religion Return migration Mexico, emigration and immigration SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General Anthropology General SOCIAL SCIENCE History Religion Migrations Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography Return migrants Evangelicalism Mixtec Indians Indians of mexico, antiquities

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