Back home in Vancouver, it is very possible to live day-to-day life without thinking of religion or interacting with religious institutions or iconography in any substantial way. Despite the religious motivations that existed for settler colonialism in Canada, I think that the more secular nature of contemporary Canadian society has caused me not to think as deeply about the early interactions between Christianity and indigenous systems of belief. This isn’t to say I don’t think about Christianity’s enduring role as it relates to indigeneity at home at all, but here in Peru, a deeply religious place with centuries-old Spanish churches and religious iconography adorning many sites, I am constantly reminded of how indigenous religions were discredited and demonized. More specifically, the hypocrisy that was often involved in this demonization.  For this week’s reading blog post, I would like to talk about the assigned excerpt from the Huarochiri Manuscript. The Introduction to this reading discusses how the purpose of the Huarochiri Manuscript was to prove the so-called Idolatrous nature of indigenous Andean religions. The intro mentions how this manuscript was first and foremost, a defence or rationalization of the acts of abuse committed by Francisco De Avila, the priest responsible for sponsoring the compilation of this manuscript,  towards his parishioners. 

Wanting a better understanding of the context for this manuscript, I dug a little deeper into the history and personal exploits of this Francisco De Avila fellow. Despite framing himself as perfect moral authority, Avila faced significant resistance and formal complaints from the indigenous communities he was meant to serve. Avila’s public image as a moral crusader begins to crumble when we consider his treatment of the communities to which he preached. By presenting Indigenous tales in this context, Avila effectively accuses Andean Indigenous people of idolatry and moral corruption, emphasizing the immoral and unclean (in terms of Christian doctrine) nature of their gods and mythology. However, this is the same guy who, just as one example, exploited his parishioners by charging for religious services that should have been freely provided. This act of financial exploitation is a blatant contradiction to  Christian teachings of charity and service. Moreover, despite this tale’s role as supposed evidence that indigenous religion was wrought with sexual deviancy,  Avila himself was accused of engaging in sexual relations with multiple women in the community, violating his clerical vows and the trust of his parishioners. To be clear, I know that given our understanding of colonialism, this is far from being shocking information, but it does prompt a deeper reflection on the pervasive hypocrisy of colonial figures like Avila, I find them to be fascinating character studies.