Angels and Demons

• Central to Jewish, Christian and Muslim thought
• Existence is attested beyond doubt with in the Scriptures and the Qur' an
• Angels and demons share same origin- God created only angels but some rebelled and in the process became demons
• "The persistence of belief in angels and demons in the post Reformation world can in some respects be explained as a consequence of lay resistance to elite and clerical acculturation, a symptom of survival and resilience of traditional devotional patterns in the face of aggressive attempts to transform and remodel them." (Cervantes and Redden, 2)
• European notions of angels and demons exported to New world where they underwent remarkable adaptations and permutations in the face of the indigenous response
• Integral part of Spanish American cosmology leading to emergence of colonial urban and rural landscapes set within a strikingly theological framework