Religion and Death: Missionization and its effects on Puebloan Burial Practices during Spanish Colonization

Summary

For the Spanish, conversion to Catholicism was an important part of the colonial strategy in the New World in order to have more perceived control over the indigenous groups they encountered there. In New Mexico, conversion of the Puebloan peoples became the main reason for remaining in the territory after little to no material wealth was found. Much of this conversion was forced, and the question remains as to exactly how many Puebloans converted and how many converted in public while practicing their native religion in private. By analyzing burial patterns pre- and post-Contact, it is possible to see changes in burial ritual related to the conversion process. Catholic burial ritual involves a specific set of steps, from the last rites to the interment, while the Pueblos had their own burial rituals that differed from Catholicism in many ways. Both of these can be compared to Puebloan mission burials to see what, if any, changes occurred due to missionization.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16566