Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
incai i mayai
Ne continum periplul istoric i documentar pe continentul Sud-American, pentru a vedea modul n care au
evoluat agricultura i alimentaia la cele mai importante populaii native, datele fiind preluate din aceeai
Istorie a culturii i civilizaiei ntocmit de Ovidiu Drimba.
Aztecii
Documentat istoric nc de acum 7.000 de ani, populaia care avea s se constituie n Regatul Aztec avea ca
baz economic agricultura care, ns, era practicat cu mijloace cu mult mai rudimentare dect n alte zone
ale planetei. Aztecii nu cunoteau nicio form de plug i nu cunoteau nici roata! n plus, pn la sosirea
europenilor care au introdus calul, nu domesticiser i nici nu folosiser vreun animal de traciune. Nu
cunoteau fierul, iar din aram nu fabricau unelte. Singura unealt de arat era un b ascuit, clit la flacr.
n urma creterii populaiei, aztecii i-au extins terenurile arabile defrind pdurile prin incendiere. Cu toat
lipsa uneltelor sau a animalelor, aztecii au evoluat din punct de vedere agricol, aplicnd sistemul de culturi n
terase, executnd canale de irigaii sau diguri contra inundaiilor i folosind drept ngrminte excrementele
umane. Fiecare faz a lucrrilor agricole era pus sub patronajul unei diviniti i nicio lucrare nu debuta fr
ducerea la ndeplinire a unui ritual.
Baza alimentaiei aztecilor a fost format din fasole i porumb, plant slbatic local care, la acea vreme, nu
ddea dect 2,3 boabe, producia fiind mrit prin selecii succesive. La acestea se adugau bostanul,
pepenele, tigva, avocado, tirul i, probabil, cartoful. Din inuturi ndeprtate se aduceau pentru privilegiai
banane, ananas, vanilie i cacao. Nobilii erau mari consumatori de ciocolat, produs interzis cu desvrire
oamenilor de rnd.
Deosebit de rspndit era agava din care, prin fermentare, se fabrica butura aztec tipic, pulque. Din
rdcin se gtea o mncare gustoas, iar spinii de agav erau folosii ca ace de cusut. Fibrele mai groase de
agav erau folosite la construirea acoperiurilor de locuine, iar din fibrele mai subiri se esea o stof groas.
n fine, din cele mai fine fibre se fabrica un fel de hrtie.
Acest regim alimentar att de srac era completat cu carne de curcan sau carne de cine, singurul animal
domestic cunoscut de azteci! n funcie de regiune, aztecii mncau vnat sau pete. Demn de amintit
invocaia care se fcea naintea vntorii sau a pescuitului: Eu, care vin acum s fac o fapt dumnoas,
sunt mpins de nevoi s o fac, cci sunt srac i nenorocit, de aceea, vin numai pentru a-mi cuta hrana!
Imperiul Inca
Triburi de nativi au fost certificate prin documentare nc din secolul III, Hr. Evolund, ntregul teritoriu al
Imperiului Inca era mprit n trei mari categorii: Prima era destinat ntreinerii i satisfacerii nevoilor
templelor; a doua aparinea suveranului, familiei sale i nobililor cu snge imperial; a treia era proprietatea
colectiv a populaiei.
n fiecare an, se fcea distribuirea sau redistribuirea pe familii a terenurilor agricole. Soul i soia dintr-o
familie primeau un tupu, suprafa egal cu 5.000 mp. n plus, pentru fiecare copil de sex masculin se mai
acorda un tupu. Pmntul era lucrat n ntregime, exclusiv de populaia liberal. n Imperiul Inca nu existau
sclavi, ca la azteci i nici nu se cunotea vreo form de servitute (iobgie).
La fel ca la azteci, aratul se executa cu parul ascuit, la 20 de cm de vrful acestuia fiind ataat, transversal,
o scndur. n lipsa oricrui animal de traciune, plugul nclinat la un anumit unghi era tras, cu ajutorul unui
fel de ham confecionat din frnghii, de ase sau opt brbai. n schimb, n violent contrast cu absena
uneltelor agricole era sistemul de irigaii compus din canale, anuri, mari bazine-rezervor, diguri, ecluze i, n
unele cazuri, chiar cu sisteme subterane de conducte. Cu totul, reeaua de ap care se mai pstreaz i
astzi pe teritoriul ocupat altdat de populaia Inca numr 7.800 de km, fapt care ilustreaz ct de ample
erau aceste lucrri, n perioada de glorie a Imperiului. Spre deosebire de aztecii care foloseau ca
ngrminte propriile excremente, incaii utilizau guano.
Singura form de impozit era constituit dintr-un anumit numr de zile de munc n folosul templelor sau a
familiei imperiale. Imensele turme de lama erau n proprietatea exclusiv a lui Inca i a templelor. Instruciunile
privind creterea i nutriia lamelor erau extrem de precise i amnunite. Dar, incaii domesticiser alte trei
varieti de ovine: guanaco, alpaca i vicuna. Lama era singurul animal de povar al incailor. Folosit i azi,
la fel ca pe vremuri, lama e deosebit de docil, nu pune probleme de nutriie i suport foarte bine frigul sau
lipsa de ap. Lna ei era, ns, mult mai puin preuit dect a celorlalte trei specii de ovine domesticite de
incai.
Fauna pdurilor i a munilor era n proprietatea statului. O dat pe an era organizat o mare vntoare
condus personal de Inca, vntoare la care participau zeci de mii de hitai i vntori narmai doar cu
epue. Carnea vnatului ucis (cerbi i ovine), era pus la uscat i la pstrare, fiind apoi mprit n mod
echitabil populaiei. De aceea, aceasta era singura surs de hran animal a incailor.
Populaia Maya
Nu se cunosc principiile de organizare a proprietilor agricole din Imperiul Maya. Dar, dup cum notau primii
europeni sosii n teritoriul ocupat de populaia Maya, pmntul era lucrat n comun, dup cum nota Diego de
Landa: Au obiceiul de a se ajuta reciproc. Se adun n grupuri de cte 20 i nu se opresc pn nu termin
toate lucrrile, de pe toate terenurile.
Modul de producie agricol a rmas neschimbat, probabil, de cca 3.000 de ani. n zona central a Imperiului,
n special, terenurile cultivabile erau obinute prin incendierea pdurilor. De obicei, o suprafa nu era cultivat
mai mult de doi ani, consecutiv, dup care, la fel ca la azteci, era lsat zece ani, s se odihneasc. n
regiunile cele mai fertile, o familie compus din cinci membri avea nevoie de o suprafa de cca 300 de mp,
pentru a-i asigura hrana, suprafa care, n zonele de podi, era de 800 de mp, iar n zonele nalte, de 2.0004.000 de mp. Recolta de porumb era de cca 1.800 de banie, n primul an, i de 1.400 de banie, n al doilea
an.
Edwin Morley, specialist n civilizaia Maya, a calculat c un ran lucra 190 de zile pentru o recolt
echivalent cu dublul necesarului de consum anual al familiei, dar i al animalelor aflate n ngrijire, fapt care
atest o abunden de hran, la nivelul Imperiului. Din surplus erau pltite taxele i se efectuau schimburile de
mrfuri. n restul zilelor unui an, mayaii se dedicau activitilor rituale.
Principalul aliment n alimentaia mayailor era porumbul, n proporie de 75-80%. La fel ca la azteci, existau
deja diferite varieti de porumb: unele creteau n dou luni i jumtate, altele, n 4, altele n 5 luni, atingnd
nlimea de 4 metri! n acelai lan de porumb se cultivau fasolea i dovleceii. Roiile, cartofii dulci, maniocul,
salata i un soi de sfecl completau nc de acum 1.500 de ani alimentaia mayailor.
n zonele meridionale se cultivau numeroase fructe, printre care i un fel de pepene galben care cretea n
copaci. Nu lipseau piperul, vanilia, coriandrul i mghiranul, fapt care ar dovedi c mayaii aveau cea mai
rafinat alimentaie dintre marile populaii ale Americii de Sud. Un rol important l avea arborele de pine, ale
crui frunze erau folosite drept furaje pentru animale, fructul dulce fiind comestibil, iar din seminele uscate i
mcinate se fcea fin.
Pentru esturi, cultivau bumbacul i inul. Lianele erau folosite la construcii, dar, firele subiri de liane erau
utilizate la confecionarea nclmintei i a plriilor ori a rogojinilor. O specie de dovlecei lungi erau folosii ca
recipiente iar, n zonele de pdure era cultivat spunia, care inea loc de spun.
Cerealele erau pstrate n silozuri subterane. n schimb, mayaii nu cunoteau niciun sistem de irigaie a
terenurilor agricole! Pentru perioadele secetoase erau construite rezervoare cimentate la interior, dar apa nu
era folosit dect pentru but.
http://www.fabricadecarne.ro/agricultura-si-cresterea-animalelor-la-azteci-incasi-si-mayasi
http://www.papamond.ro/tortillas/
Tortillas constituie principala paine la sud-americani si este simplu de facut si intr-un timp scurt. Se
pot face din faina de griu, de porumb sau orice alta cereala. Avand in vedere pretul lor in
supermarket si faptul ca o tortilla proaspata si calda este oricand binevenita, merita sa incercati sa
preparati acasa aceste lipii mexicane.
500 gr faina
2 linguri ulei
sare, apa calduta
Intr-un vas amestecam faina, un praf de sare si uleiul. Adaugam doua cesti de apa calduta si
amestecam cu mana sau cu o lingura. Incorporam, amestecand toata faina in aluat si incepem sa
framantam puternic timp de 3-4 minute. Aluatul pentru tortilla este foarte putin lipicios, spre
deosebire de cel preparat cu drojdie.
Acoperim vasul cu o punga, cum am spus aici si lasam sa stea 15-20 minute. Lasand aluatul sa se
odihneasca, faina va absorbi lichidele si tortilla va fi mai pufoasa. Rupem cu mana din aluat si
modelam bile pe care le intindem cu facaletul.
Le coacem pe grill, la foc mai repejor, pe ambele parti si le punem pe o farfurie intinsa acoperiindu-le
cu un prosop sa se pastreze moi.
Putem face uz de imaginatie si sa preparam tortilla cu ardei dulce sau iute, cu usturoi, masline sau
verdeata. Procedura este simpla: se taie ardeiul rondele subtiri sau se toaca de ex. marar si se
presara pe tortilla intinsa dupa care mai trecem o data cu facaletul peste aluat si se incorporeaza
verdeata sau ardeiul.
Practic, puteti sa mancati tortillas pe post de paine sau puteti pune pe aceste lipioare carne, sosuri,
branzeturi, legume, dulceturi si ce va mai doreste inima.
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/daily-grind
Tamales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Tortilla_Taco_history.htm
The mainstay of the Mexican diet was, and still is, the tortilla, made from corn. The
tradition continues today with little change. The kernels are cooked with lime to remove
the husk and then ground on a stone slab with a grinding stone. The dough is formed into
little round balls and then patted out by hand into thin round cakes or wrapped in a corn
husk, the tamale, to then fill and eat. The versatility of the tortilla as a wrapper in endless.
They are used for tacos and enchiladas, among native Mexicans, tortillas are commonly
used as eating utensils, as a plate as in a tostada, and much more. In the United States
the tortilla is no longer seen as just an ethnic bread. This is partially due to the increase of
the Hispanic population.
Check out Tortillas - How To Make Tortillas
In northern Mexico and much of the United States, tortilla means the flour version. Flour tortillas are
the foundation of Mexican border cooking and a relatively recent import. Their popularity was driven
by the low cost of inferior grades of flour provided to border markets and by their ability to keep and
ship well.
3000 B.C. - Excavations in the valley of Valle de Tehuacn, in the state of Puebla, revealed the
use, for more than seven thousand years, of the basic cereal by excellence of the Mesoamerican diet,
a little wild cob that along with roots and fruit was a complement for hunting. According to Agustn
Gaytn, chef and Mexican cuisine historian, in a Greeley Tribune newspaper article:
Sometime about 3000 B.C., people of the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico hybridized wild grasses
to produce large, nutritious kernels we know as corn. Mexican anthropologist and maize historian
Arturo Warman credits the development of corn with the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations such as
the Mayans and the Aztecs, which were advanced in art, architecture, math and astronomy. The
significance of corn was not lost on indigenous cultures that viewed it as a foundation of humanity. It
is revered as the seed of life. According to legend, human beings were made of corn by the Gods."
By the time Spaniards reached the shores of what is now Mexico in the 1400s, indigenous
Mesoamericans had a sophisticated and flavorful cuisine based on native fruits, game, cultivated
beans and corn and domesticated turkeys.
1519 - When Hernn Corts (1485-1547), also known as Hernando Cortez, and his conquistadores
arrived in the New World on April 22, 1519, they discovered that the inhabitants (Aztecs Mexicas)
made flat corn breads. The native Nahuatl name for these was tlaxcalli. The Spanish gave them the
name tortilla. In Corts' 1920 second letter to King Charles V of Spain, he describes the public
markets and the selling of maize or Indian corn:
This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for buying and
selling. . . where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged in buying and selling;
and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of
life, as for instance articles of food. . . maize or Indian corn, in the grain and in the form of bread,
preferred in the grain for its flavor to that of the other islands and terra-firma.
1529 - In the monumental manuscript books, General History of the Things of New Spain (Historia
general de las cosas de Nueva Espana), by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagun (1450-1590),
it is known that the Aztec diet was based on corn and tortillas, tamales and plenty of chilies in many
varieties. Considered one of the fathers of culinary history. He compiled and translated testimonies of
his culinary informants from the native language Nahuatl into Spanish. His work is the most complete
record of Aztec foods and eating habits.
Sahagun was sent to New Spain (Mexico) to compile, in the Aztec language, a compendium of all
things relating to the native history and custom that might be useful in the labor of Christianizing the
Indians. The work thus undertaken occupied some seven years, in collaboration with the best native
authorities, and was expanded into a history and description of the Aztec people and civilization in
twelve manuscript books, together with a grammar (Arte) and dictionary of the language.
1940s - In the 1940s and 50s, one of the first widespread uses of small scale gas engines and
electric motors was to power wet grain grinders for making masa. A hand press or hand patting were
used to form the masainto tortillas.
1960s - Early tortillas took hours to make but by the 1960s, small-scale tortilla-making machines
could churn out hot, steaming tortillas every two seconds.
Taco History
In Mexico, the word taco is a generic term like the English word sandwich. A taco is simply
a tortilla wrapped around a filling. Like a sandwich, the filling can be made with almost
anything and prepared in many different ways (anything that can be rolled inside a tortilla
becomes a taco). The contents of a taco can vary according to the geographical region you
are eating them. The taco can be eaten as an entree or snack. They are made with soft
corn or fried corn tortillas folded over.
1520 -Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1496-1584), a Spanish soldier who came with Hernn Corts to the
New World, wrote an intriguing and detailed chronicles called A True History of the Conquest of New
Spain. He also chronicled the lavish feasts that were held. From the article by Sophie Avernin called
Tackling the taco: A guide to the art of taco eating:
The first taco bash in the history of New Spain was documented by none other than Bernal Diaz del
Castillo. Hernan Cortes organized this memorable banquet in Coyoacan for his captains, with pigs
brought all the way from Cuba. It would, however, be a mistake to think that Cortes invented the
taco, since anthropologists have discovered evidence that inhabitants of the lake region of the Valley
of Mexico ate tacos filled with small fish, such as acosiles and charales. The fish were replaced by
small live insects and ants in the states of Morelos and Guerrero, while locusts and snails were
favorite fillings in Puebla and Oaxaca.
1914 - The first-known English-language taco recipes appeared in California cookbooks beginning in
1914. Bertha Haffner-Ginger, in her cookbook California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book said tacos were:
"made by putting chopped cooked beef and chili sauce in a tortilla made of meal and flour; folded,
edges sealed together with egg; fried in deep fat, chile sauce served over it."
1929 - Pauline Wiley-Kleemann in here cookbook Ramona's Spanish-Mexican Cookery, featured six
taco and tacquito recipes. These included recipes for Gorditos that came from Santa Nita or
Xochimilco, Pork Tacos composed of snout, ears, jowls, kidneys, and liver, Cream Cheese Tacos, Egg
Tacos, Mexican Tacos, and Tacquitos
Taqueria or taco trucks are found throught the West and Southwest of the United States. There are
two kinds of taco trucks; traveling trucks that cruise around neighborhoods and business areas, and
Karen Hursh Graber in her article Wrap It Up: A Guide to Mexican Street Tacos says the following on
the different types of tacos in Mexico:
Many foreigners come to Mexico with the idea that they can get tacos any time, but this is not
generally true. Looking for tacos around midday, perhaps at the time of the gringo lunch, will not
normally be a successful pursuit. Tacos are either a morning treat or a nighttime snack, pretty much
disappearing between the hours of noon and six p.m. This is because the main meal in Mexico is
eaten in the afternoon. Not to worry: by about six the smell of meat begins to permeate the air and
the taqueras are back in business. . .
From noon until about six there are almost no tacos available; morning vendors are closed until the
next day. Right around dusk, however, there is a perceptible change in the atmosphere of the street
following the afternoon lull. Permanent puestos, stalls and storefront taqueras begin opening, and
ambulatory taco carts roll into place, usually connecting the wires from their naked light bulbs into
overhead lines. . . The most compelling signal of taco time, however, is the aroma. Of all the street
food in Mexico, the taco is King of the Night, attracting clients with the appetizing scent of grilled,
fried or steamed meat. Since the big meal of the day is eaten in the afternoon, many people opt for
a late supper, or cena, and taqueras usually stay open until about midnight, and later in big cities.
On weekends, taqueras near discos and clubs stay open until the wee hours of the morning, when
they provide welcome sustenance to hungry partygoers.
sample them is at any of the small food stands that line the streets around the Mercado Negro,
Ensenadas incredible fish market. The fish tacos served are simply small pieces of batter-coated,
fried fish in a hot corn or wheat tortilla.
People in the coastal areas of Mexico have been eating fish tacos for a long time. The history of fish
tacos could seemly go back thousands of years to when indigenous North American peoples first
wrapped the plentiful offshore catch into stone-ground-corn tortillas. The people of Ensenada say
their port town is the fish taco's true home, dating at least from the opening of the Ensenada
mercado, in 1958.
The people of San Diego, California, have been hooked on fish tacos since 1983. In fact, fish tacos
are the fast-food signature dish of San Diego: they're cheap to buy and fast to make. Fish tacos were
popularized in the United States by Ralph Rubio, who first tasted them while on spring break in Baja,
Mexico. According to the story he tells, there was one Baja vendor he especially liked, a man named
Carlos, who ran a hole-in-the-wall taco stand with a 10-foot counter and a few stools. Carlos fried
fish to order and put it on a warm tortilla. Customers added their own condiments. Rubio tried to
persuade Carlos to move to San Diego, but Carlos was happy where he was and would not budge. He
did agree, however, to share his recipe, which Rubio scrawled on a piece of paper pulled from his
wallet. Several years later, Rubio opened his own restaurant in San Diego, called Rubio's - Home of
the Fish Taco. Today, fish tacos are legendary and are sole throughout San Diego and the Southwest.
SOURCES:
California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book; Selected Mexican and Spanish Recipes, by Bertha Haffner-Ginger, Citizen Print Shop, Los
Angeles, 1914.
Bernardino de Sahagn, by James Mooney, Transcribed by Joseph E. O'Connor, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII.
Growing Corn in Mexico, Pan-American Adventure: Tepotzotln, Mexico, by Don Lotter, August 3, 2004.
Hernam Cortes: From Second Letter to Charles V, 1520, From: Oliver J. Thatcher, ed., The Library of Original Sources (Milwaukee:
University Research Extension Co., 1907), Vol. V: 9th to 16th Centuries, pp. 317-326.
Ramona's Spanish-Mexican Cookery; The First Complete and Authentic Spanish-Mexican Cook Book in English, by Pauline WileyKleemann, Editor, West Coast Publishing Co., Los Angeles, 1929.
Rubios, Fresh Mexican Grill.
Tackling the taco: A guide to the art of taco eating, by Sophie Avernin, Vuelo Mexicana
Tacos, Enchiladas and Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery, by Andrew F. Smith, Presented at the at Oregon
State University, 1999.
The real taste of Mexico, by Jesse Fanciulli, Greeley Tribune, November 24, 2002.
Toward a Recipe File and Manuals on "How to Collect" Edible Wild Insects in North America, by Gene R. DeFollart, The Food Insects
Newsletter, Volume 4, Issue 3, November 1991.
Wrap It Up: A Guide to Mexican Street Tacos, by Karen Hursh Graber, Mexico Connect.
http://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/food-drinks/the-history-of-taco-food-infographic/
precum i idei, concepii, mentaliti, au traversat Atlanticul ntr-un sens i n cellalt, iar acest fenomen se
petrece i n ziua de azi, chiar dac sub forme mai puin evidente dect n trecut.
Acest dezechilibru este destul de surprinztor. O posibil explicaie ar fi faptul c, n Lumea Nou, oamenii
triau de mai puin timp n aezri dens populate - orae -, n comparaie cu cei din Lumea Veche. De
asemenea, populaiile amerindiene creteau un numr mic de specii de animale domestice i, astfel, aveau
mai puine boli n comun cu aceste animalele, n vreme ce oamenii Lumii Vechi creteau numeroase specii de
animale, de mult vreme domesticite; or, acestea sunt o surs bogat de microorganisme patogene, care n
unele cazuri pot infecta i oamenii (virusul gripei porcine este un exemplu bun n acest sens).
Marele Schimb nu s-a mrginit ns la specii de vieuitoare, fie ele animale, plante, bacterii sau virusuri.
Tehnologiile au fcut i ele obiectul transferului ntre cele dou lumi, una remarcabil fiind cea legat de
vehiculele cu roi. Se spune adesea c popoarele precolumbiene nu cunoteau roata; totui, descoperirea
recent a unor jucrii cu rotie, datnd din epoca precolumbian, arat c se apropiaser mult de acest
concept. Ceea ce nu cunoteau ei, de fapt, era transportul cu vehicule cu roi, pe care oamenii Lumii Vechi l
inventaser i l foloseau de milenii. Cauza ar fi fost, dup prerea antropologilor, inexistena n America
precolumbian a unor animale domestice de povar capabile s trag asemenea vehicule. n Lumea Veche,
caii i boii erau motoarele vii ale carelor i trsurilor; populaiile amerindiene, n schimb, nu aveau asemenea
animale. Singurul animal de povar din Americi era lama sud-american, dar aceasta era de dimensiuni destul
de mici, incapabil s trag ncrcturi grele, iar aria ei de rspndire a rmas mult vreme limitat la zonele
muntoase din Anzi. Prin urmare, marile civilizaii precolumbiene nu cunoteau transportul cu crue i alte
vehicule cu roi, o invenie care impulsionase att de mult dezvoltarea economic i, consecutiv, i cultural, a
Lumii Vechi.
Ca urmare a Schimbului Columbian, aceast tehnologie - cu siguran una dintre cele mai importante
nscocite vreodat - a ajuns n cele dou Americi, iar urmrile au fost spectaculoase i dramatice, la scara
istoriei: cucerirea i colonizarea, de ctre populaiile de origine european, a marilor ntinderi ale Americii de
Nord s-a fcut, ntr-o prim faz, cu ajutorul cailor i al cruelor.
La fel, praful de puc i armele de foc - tehnologii necunoscute populaiilor amerindiene la vremea cnd
Columb a ajuns n America - au contribuit n felul lor la scrierea istoriei lumii: i-au ajutat pe europeni s
cucereasc teritoriile Americilor, cu preul unor conflicte dure i al masacrrii populaiilor locale de nativi
americani, o poveste sngeroas i trist care face parte din drumul spre alctuirea de astzi a lumii.
Tot un capitol trist i dureros al povetii multiseculare a Marelui Schimb este cel despre modul n care
europenii i descendenii lor au nfiinat n cele dou Americi plantaii de bumbac, de trestie de zahr etc., care
au devenit profitabile datorit muncii sclavilor, ncurajndu-se astfel comerul cu fiine umane smulse din
mediul lor i duse n robie peste ocean.
Comerul cu sclavi de origine african a avut, la rndul lui, consecine greu de anticipat, printre altele n plan
religios.
Una dintre consecinele Schimbului Columbian, n plan cultural, a fost rspndirea catolicismului pe teritorii
enorme, n ceea ce numim azi America Latin, dar catolicismul lationo-american nu este peste tot acelai. n
Brazilia, de pild, fenomenul religios este unul aparte, uluitor i fascinant: acolo avem de-a face cu un
sincretism - mbinarea unor credine de variate origini ntr-un ansamblu surprinztor de bine nchegat. Spiritele
pdurii amazoniene, sfinii catolici i practicile magice africane coexist ntr-un conglomerat complex,
zpcitor la prima vedere, dar coerent, consolidat prin trecerea timpului.