Cervantes. Fernando. The Devil in the New World: The Impact of Diabolism in New Spain. Yale: Yale University Press, 1994.

Cervantes.
Fernando. The Devil in the New World: The
Impact of Diabolism in New Spain. Yale: Yale
University Press, 1994.
The study of diabolism is undeniably
seductive to modern historians. Visions of Satanic rituals carried out in dark
woods, witches summoning spirits, and encounters with the devil himself can
easily lead studies of witchcraft and diabolism down a fantastical rabbit hole.
Yet author Fernando Cervantes sufficiently grounds his study of diabolism in
the New World in reality. The devil had his place in the theology of the time, and
particularly in the complex theology of Mesoamerican culture. Cervantes
describes the dramatic change in the Christian concept of the devil between the
Reformation and the Enlightenment that critically influenced the Spanish missionary
efforts in the New World and the ways in which Mesoamerican cultures adopted
diabolism into their own faith.
Anti-Thomistic nominalism introduced
the idea that nature was separate from the grace of God. Previously the devil
and other evils had been under the control of God, and by extension the Church
itself. With the devil out from the “control” of God, the possibility for corruption
was ripe. This fear of corruption eventually spread to the colonies in New
Spain. The Mesoamerican cultures, many of which had enthusiastically embraced
Christianity, became embroiled in Christian Spain’s concerns over diabolism and
its spread.
Cervantes deftly explains the appeal
of Christianity and diabolism to the Mesoamerican people. Rather than fully
convert to Christianity, these cultures instead incorporated God, the devil,
and the Holy Spirit into their own pantheons. Mesoamerican religions relied on
duality; without the destructive power of the devil there would be nothing for
God to rebuild. One without the other made no sense, and it is this emphasis on
duality that many Spanish missionaries had difficulty understanding. European
ideology cannot be applied Mesoamerican theology and this impasse between the
two faiths often led to spectacular displays of violence. The most infamous of
which, a massacre spearheaded by Fray Diego de Landa against the Mayans,
resulted in numerous deaths and the widespread destruction of Mayan religious
artifacts. 
The relationship between the Spanish
missionaries and the colonized American peoples was rife with complications.
Cervantes writes of the duty that these Spanish monks felt towards “saving”
indigenous populations. To the Spanish the Mesoamericans were ignorant children
and Cervantes theorizes that this familial relationship could be why
retaliation against Mesoamericans caught worshipping idols or praying to the devil
was so violent. Spanish missionaries saw reverting to idolatry as a deep
betrayal and punishment was maliciously carried out. Continuation of sacrificial
practices was met with similar horror and once again the divide between
European and Mesoamerican theology is highlighted. To the Mesoamerican peoples
sacrifice appeased the gods and ensured social harmony and to stop these
practices would throw the culture into complete disarray on a very fundamental
level. However this was not a concept the Spanish missionaries could
understand, so confusion and panic ensued.
The release of the devil from God’s
powers signaled a total shift in Christian perceptions of the devil and his influence.
Cervantes makes a compelling argument for the necessity of the devil in both
Christianity and Mesoamerican paganism. To the Christians the devil could be a
roadblock on the path to salvation, a test similar to the one Christ endured,
while to the Mesoamericans the devil was simply one of many forces in the world
that operated outside this earthly realm. At the root of the fear of diabolism
in the New World is a fear of a lack of control. This fear was compounded by continued
human sacrifice and idolatry even after many native peoples had ben baptized. For
the Spanish missionaries the fight against the devil in the New World was the
fight for the souls of Christian and non-Christian alike.
Category:Exploration and Empire