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Labyrinth Of Solitude Summary

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For countless centuries the world has been captivated by the ancient and mysterious customs of the Aztec empire. From opulent ensembles, geometric architecture, to their macabre religious practices, Mesoamerica was one of the first civilizations to establish a name for themselves. A nation advanced beyond their years, so much so, that they altered the pace of modern intellectual thought. Octavio Paz is the mastermind behind his interpretation of Colonialism in Mexico in The Labyrinth of Solitude. Paz addresses different topics such as class, race, religion, and economic endeavors that were assembled between the natives and Spaniards that ultimately created a blended society. Paz believes that even though the Spaniards altered a once established …show more content…

Catholics only believe in one god, which is considered monotheistic. The natives of New Spain believed in many different gods, which is polytheistic. Converging these two different belief systems proved to be difficult for both the native population and the Spaniards. While being a friar, one is supposed to devout their life to extreme poverty as well as humility, giving up various aspects of life such as gluttony, lust, and greed. Coming from Spain, friars were at the head of religious hierarchy while in New Spain. Friars upheld different religious duties such as sermons, rosaries, communion, and confirmation from heathenism to Catholicism. But most importantly, friars were required to execute mass baptisms to countless numbers of natives to rid them of believing in so many different beings. Motolinia recaps different experiences while in New Spain, explaining the constant struggle to purify the heathanistic ways of the natives. Motilina states that, “The friars devised a thousand ways and means of bringing the Indians to a knowledge of the one true God: and to ride them of the error of idolatry, they figured out many ways of explaining Christian doctrine.” (Motolinia 245). The mass baptism of thousands of human beings a day is difficult to imagine, and this leaves Motolinia to question whether or not the people truly accepted God as their Savior, disregarded the friars attempts to converge, or were greedy and decided to combine both practices just to be on the safe side. Who could blame

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