Old and New Beliefs: on the meeting of religiosities in an Amazonian village

Abstract:

This article results from some reflections initiated during a field work carried out in the locality of Alter do Chão, in the municipality of Santarém / PA. It is a preliminary study whose nuances seek to establish the hypothesis that the cultural landscape that circumscribes the place, as well as the religious practices of the people who live there, mobilizes a mystique that involves different social actors and can be read as a result of historical processes specific to the region. The field data point to a coexistence of religiosities that embrace popular Catholicism, Umbanda, consecration of psychoactive drinks of indigenous origins, healing practices and spiritual retreats (such as meditations and yoga practice), and which end up signaling to regimes of belief proper to what is now being called New Religious or New Age Movements.

Keywords:
Religiosity; New Age; Mystique; Amazon.