Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Conversion And Culture Change In A Highland Maya Community, Judy Stomsvik

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The traditional religion of the Tzotzil Indians of Chiapas, Mexico is a blend of ancient Maya and Spanish Catholic elements. Recently Protestant missionaries and lay workers have entered the area, with varying degrees of success. One of these evangelizing· movements has been carried out by members of the Seventh-day Adventist church, with a great deal of success in some areas.

Since conversion of individuals to Adventism results in culture change for these individuals in the area of world view, i.t should also have ramifications in other areas of the culture as well. The purpose of this research was to discover …