When both the Spanish and the Europeans conquered and colonised the Americas they brought their religion with them, Christianity. They even made it mandatory for everyone to convert to Christianity. Those in Maya who refused to give up their pantheistic religious practices were arrested and tortured for heresy. Mayan artefacts were actively destroyed and all but a few of their sacred texts were burnt. However, in 1820, the colonies broke from Spain, and the pressure for the Mayan to abandon their culture was gone.
Today, Christianity is the main religion of Latin America and the Roman Catholic Church the main church, although some Mayan descendants living throughout Central America still speak an evolved version of the Mayan language and have managed to retain some of the ancient Mayan cultural practices.
Today, Christianity is the main religion of Latin America and the Roman Catholic Church the main church, although some Mayan descendants living throughout Central America still speak an evolved version of the Mayan language and have managed to retain some of the ancient Mayan cultural practices.