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Protestant Diffusion and Church Location in Central America, with a Case Study from Southwestern Honduras

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Protestant Diffusion and Church Location in Central America, with a Case Study from Southwestern Honduras Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1997 Moved by the Spirit: Protestant Diffusion and Church Location in Central America, With a Case Study From Southwestern Honduras. Terri Shawn Mitchell Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Mitchell, Terri Shawn, "Moved by the Spirit: Protestant Diffusion and Church Location in Central America, With a Case Study From Southwestern Honduras." (1997). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6396. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6396 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the tact directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back o f the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. MOVED BY THE SPIRIT: PROTESTANT DIFFUSION AND CHURCH LOCATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA, WITH A CASE STUDY FROM SOUTHWESTERN HONDURAS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment o f the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Terri Shawn Mitchell B.A., Louisiana State University, 1990 May 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9735991 UMI Microform 9735991 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful for the L.S.U. Graduate School Fellowship and West Fund field research grant from the Geography and Anthropology Department that made this research financially possible. Thanks to the members of my committee, particularly Dr. Davidson and Dr. Richardson, for their time and assistance. I am also indebted to Dr. Florin at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Dr. Hoddler at the University of Georgia for allowing me to use their departmental computer facilities. During my fieldwork, I appreciated the hospitality and cooperation of people I met in Honduras, especially Dona Maria and Dona Barbara in Erandique. Thanks to my parents and sister for all of their help and support, especially in the final stages. Finally, I am grateful for the patience, help, and love of my husband Doug and for the presence of my daughter Emily Rose, who helped keep this dissertation in perspective. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................................ii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1 Methodology ...................................................................................................4 Expected Significance ...................................................................................6 Literature Review .......................................................................................... 7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................15 Endnotes ...........................................................................................................16 2 "PROTESTANT" AND "CATHOLIC" CLARIFIED.....................................18 Catholicism.......................................................................................................18 Protestantism ................................................................................................... 22 Endnote .............................................................................................................27 3 CATHOLICISM IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD............................................28 Methods of Evangelism ..................................................................................29 Agents of Diffusion ....................................................................................... 32 Colonial Honduras ...........................................................................................34 Endnote .............................................................................................................40 4 CATHOLIC MISSIONS AND TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION............41 Mission Site Selection ....................................................................................43 Mission Features ..............................................................................................45 Architecture....................................................................................................45 Orientation ....................................................................................................... 48 Endnote .............................................................................................................51 5 PROTESTANTISM IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD..................................... 52 Protestant Agents and Methods ..................................................................... 54 Site Selection ................................................................................................... 61 Diffusion .......................................................................................................... 64 Endnotes .......................................................................................................... 65 6 PROTESTANTISM IN THE INDEPENDENCE PERIOD (1821-1896) ....66 Political Context ..............................................................................................68 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Agents of Diffusion.......................................................................................71 Methods of Evangelism ................................................................................. 78 Site Selection and Diffusion ..........................................................................83 Southwestern Honduras ................................................................................. 93 Architecture................................................................................................... 94 Endnotes ..........................................................................................................96 7 PROTESTANT MISSION ORGANIZATION: CONFERENCES AND COMITY.................................................... 97 Latin American Conferences .........................................................................97 Comity .............................................................................................................99 Comity and Latin America ............................................................................ 104 Catholics and Comity .................................................................................... 106 Disintegration of Comity ............................................................................... 107 Endnote ............................................................................................................108
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