Religion in the Americas before Christian Conquest


Archaeologists have long known of a religion practiced in South America before the Spanish conquests. It involved what we now consider bizarre human sacrifice. The Bible contains stories of human sacrifice.

There is evidence the famous tribes of Southern Mexico and Central America had enough wealth to afford people who did not raise food but studied the stars. They figured out an accurate calendar. From what can be gleaned, this was all about the religion of that time.

Even on this continent are some hints of religion. I visited Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. There are remains of peculiar round buildings the purpose of which seems religious but no one knows. Then, there are the remains of a long road like structure that goes on for miles. The "road" does not meander as do roads that follow original paths used by animals and people. Instead, it tracks perfectly with certain moon phases. We assume this involved some religious beliefs.

The evidence we have of pre Christian religions in the Americas is not dated before the times of the Bible. The structures of Chaco Canyon we built just after 1000 CE. Perhaps the religions go back in antiquity before Christianity but we do not have evidence from that far back. Native people on these continents lived in damp places that did not preserve artifacts as well as the desserts of the Middle East.

I wish we knew how many of  the great and powerful religions of the world grew without conquest. Certainly, Christianity is not one of them.

Europeans came to the Americas carrying a sword and the Bible. Native religions disappeared.
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