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Nowadays, the messianic idea is present not only in the beliefs and practices of fundamentalist groups but also in other areas of modern life, such as in certain scientific discourses that warn of the end of the world, as well as in celebrations and religious conflicts. To understand its current importance, I propose to adopt a post-secular approach that does not sharply distinguish the religious-spiritual from the modern or secular rational thought, precisely because messianism (or the messianic idea) articulates and gives meaning to a series of actions of a very diverse nature that are directly related to the preparation of people to try to shape the future already foreseen. In the first place, I locate the contemporaneity of the messianic idea. Then, I analyze how two versions of messianism confront each other in a particular region, the center of Michoacán: the one associated with the idea of progress versus pious devotion. Finally, based on ethnographic material, I present a description of the religious offering as an expression of gift, as a popular version of the messianic realization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different social representations that residents of the city of Colima held with respect to local rivers in the second half of the 19th century influenced landscape changes in that setting. To analyze this phenomenon, we adopted the posture of Serge Moscovici, a psychologist who argues that representations foster the elaboration of a social object shared by a group of people that is used to facilitate the communication process and to propose behaviors. Results identified five groups who had made the most representations and modifications of the landscape. They were classified as travelers, small businessmen, politicians, local intellectuals, and doctors. Though their representations of the landscape were diverse, several emphasized three specific dimensions: aesthetic representations; those related to progress; and those that expressed a concern for safety. These representations were incorporated into discourses that either promoted or discredited various elements of the landscape, including bridges, canals, rice crops, orchards, and public bathrooms, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]