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.