Others have reacted to these developments with alarm, Mr. Lara said. They've always maintained obedience through fear, but that bond has been broken. Christianity doesn't work like it did anymore. So some Catholics are trying to recover ground by resorting to some Catholic-animist forms that will allow the church to continue to have influence within the Indigenous population. As a result, Pentecostalism has grown a lot in the highlands.
People sing and shout during worship, but they sing and shout in Spanish.
To enter the church you've got to leave your culture and your language outside. Juana Riquiac, a K'iche' woman and Methodist community health worker in Chichicastenango, said missionaries brought pianos and accordions from the north, claiming these were acceptable for use in worship, but prohibited use of the marimba, which is an integral part of Maya community life. Ms. Riquiac said she has witnessed a few Maya religious ceremonies, although she gave up Maya spiritual practice when she became a Christian at age 14. I can be present with respect, not criticizing, but being present. She shrugs it off, saying that because she wears a cross around her neck, some other Methodists condemn her for being a closet Roman Catholic.