Conversión por sanación entre nahuas atliaquenses de Guerrero: el caso del presbiterianismo.

Abstract

This article is the result of broader research conducted since 2011 in the Nahua community of Atliaca, Guerrero. In the current phase, I analyze the process of religious change and diversification within the community. In this writing, I examine two experiences of conversion to Presbyterianism stemming from the healing of an illness. Based on the premise that health/illness/care processes play a central role in the instrumentalization of religious beliefs, I emphasize the shift in perspective regarding the afflictions of a man and a woman who converted through the adoption of a new interpretive framework, a result of their affiliation with the Presbyterian church and their gradual understanding of the fundamental principles of Christian doctrine. I also highlight the importance of gifts and healing prayers among congregation members.

For the writing of this text, I have drawn upon my fieldwork from 2022, which includes participant observation in Sunday and/or special worship services and in-depth interviews conducted with converts, through which I have constructed the narratives of conversion as analytical tools for their personal, familial, and social changes.