"Several Indian nations, such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas, worshipped black gods along with their other deities, and the Mayan religion particularly exemplifies the high esteem in which the negroes were held." --Harold G. Lawrence, The crisis, 1962 Why were all indigenous religions and spiritual systems deemed as "pagan" or "evil"and were replaced during colonization? It would be hard to subjugate a people who were previously worshipped without replacing old traditions