LIVE STREAM---Mother Angelica/Pope Francis

This is pretty much how religion is practiced in places like Bolivia and Peru. It's a syncretism of Catholicism and indigenous beliefs, especially Pachamama. In Bolivia, when you go to a market, there's often a section for folk magic, with items like dried llama fetuses, herb sachets and carved stones. I suspect the Catholic Church isn't too eager to call out these cultures for not being purely catholic. It might seem a little inquisition-y.

In South America, early European missionaries destroyed pagan temples and then built their churches on top of the ruins. In many ways, the way people "converted" was really just rebranding their old beliefs and slapping on a new label, rather than converting to a new religion and worldview. So, it's really not surprising that so many elements of indigenous beliefs have survived. I'm sure purists wouldn't be happy to see what Catholicism is like in Bolivia, but I found it really interesting. I went down in a silver mine in Bolivia, and they had shrines to the devil, because it was very hot and extremely dangerous, and they thought they literally worked in hell, so they tried to appease him with offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol, etc. I doubt the Church would appreciate that very much, but they have a very different worldview than most of the West. Do you think the Church should excommunicate them or something?