Memoria antica e memoria indiana: discorso sulle divinità indigene nell’opera di Fray Juan Torquemada

The Monarquía indiana - published in Seville in 1615 by Fray Juan de Torquemada - represented one of the most significant efforts to include Indigenous religions within a global view of religious diversity. As a product of a modern process of “mondialization”, the work of Torquemada reflected on the nature of Mesoamerican gods from a ground-breaking point of view. The Franciscan produced an evolution of the missionary methods and strategies used during the first part of colonial history. In the context of modern discourses on religion, the work of Torquemada does not represent only an "ethnographic" attempt to understand the complexity of Indigenous religions in order to promote evangelization. On the contrary, the missionary reflection on Indigenous gods established a key stage in the modern construction of a global theory of polytheism.The Monarquía indiana - published in Seville in 1615 by Fray Juan de Torquemada - represented one of the most significant efforts to include Indigenous religions within a global view of religious diversity. As a product of a modern process of “mondialization”, the work of Torquemada reflected on the nature of Mesoamerican gods from a ground-breaking point of view. The Franciscan produced an evolution of the missionary methods and strategies used during the first part of colonial history. In the context of modern discourses on religion, the work of Torquemada does not represent only an "ethnographic" attempt to understand the complexity of Indigenous religions in order to promote evangelization. On the contrary, the missionary reflection on Indigenous gods established a key stage in the modern construction of a global theory of polytheism.La Monarquía indiana – pubblicata nel 1615 a Siviglia da Fray Juan de Torquemada – rappresentò uno dei più significati sforzi di incorporare le religioni indigene all’interno di una visione globale della diversità religiosa. Come prodotto di un processo moderno di “mondializzazione”, l’opera di Torquemada rifletteva sulla natura delle divinità mesoamericane da un punto di vista estremamente innovativo. Il francescano produsse un’evoluzione dei metodi e delle strategie missionarie utilizzate nella prima parte della storia coloniale. Nel contesto dei moderni discorsi sulla religione, l’opera di Torquemada non rappresenta solamente un tentativo “etnografico” di comprendere la complessità delle religioni indigene allo scopo di promuovere l’evangelizzazione. Al contrario, la riflessione missionaria sulla divinità indigene stabiliva un tappa fondamentale della costruzione moderna di una teoria globale del politeismo.The Monarquía indiana - published in Seville in 1615 by Fray Juan de Torquemada - represented one of the most significant efforts to include Indigenous religions within a global view of religious diversity. As a product of a modern process of “mondialization”, the work of Torquemada reflected on the nature of Mesoamerican gods from a ground-breaking point of view. The Franciscan produced an evolution of the missionary methods and strategies used during the first part of colonial history. In the context of modern discourses on religion, the work of Torquemada does not represent only an "ethnographic" attempt to understand the complexity of Indigenous religions in order to promote evangelization. On the contrary, the missionary reflection on Indigenous gods established a key stage in the modern construction of a global theory of polytheism