Catholic devotion and the fear of natural disasters in Lima, 18th century

Amador L.; Carcelén C.; Morán D. · Desde el Sur (2025) · DOI: 10.21142/des-1702-2025-0026

Resumen

Religious practices as an effect of environmental phenomena are a constant in Peruvian history: the relationship between religious devotion and fear of natural disasters in Lima is a clear reality. This research aims to highlight the importance of this phenomenon in shaping the social, political, and spiritual stability of the 18th-century Lima population. Using a historical and qualitative approach, a variety of printed and archival sources, and Maunder's argumentative framework for situations involving interaction between natural events and social issues, the work demonstrates how, in urban and rural settings, the Lima population invoked the powers of gods and saints to exorcise the adverse forces of nature. Religious devotion, a blend of Andean and Catholic, served to remedy the damage and effects of natural disasters.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola