Phenomenology and Hermeneutics of the Ancient Mesoamerican Religions

Abstract

A phenomenological and hermeneutical approach to the study of the ancient religions of Mesoamerica — among them the Mayas and the Aztecs (both the focus of this paper), as well as the Olmecs, Toltecs and others that lived in the same geographical context of Central America (to which we will refer herein) will garner insight into the defining features of these religions. To this end, we will follow Mircea Eliade, the famous Rumanian historian of religions, and approach the Mesoamerican ones from the angle of a new discipline, “religious anthropology”, which includes an in-depth study of all that makes up the religious dimension of culture and man.