Elizabeth Baquedano interviewed on belief in Mexico
12 September 2018
Elizabeth Baquedano (Honorary Senior Lecturer, UCL Institute of Archaeology) was interviewed recently on BBC Radio 4 about the importance of Catholicism in Mexico dating back to the 16th century.
Elizabeth contributed to a programme in the series 'Beyond Belief', which explores the place and nature of faith in today's world.
Mexicans have experienced a lot of death in recent years with drug cartels operating freely and an ongoing migrant crisis. 87% of Mexicans identify as Catholics. This episode dealt with how the Mexican people reconcile their faith with the desperate conditions under which so many live. Elizabeth provided an historical perspective to the discussions.
Elizabeth currently teaches a graduate course at the Institute on Aztec Archaeology which examines the critical boundaries between the historical records, the painted books (codices) and material culture, focusing on the Spanish Chroniclers of Sixteenth Century Mexico. She is the author of Tezcatlipoca: Trickster and Supreme Deity, 2015 (University Press of Colorado).