Maya Communities Research Articles

Physicochemical Properties of Two Mexican Stingless Bee Honeys to Strengthen Their Biocultural Value

Honey production in Mexico is an ancient economic, social, and biocultural activity for indigenous communities, Mayas, and Totonacs, among others. Stingless bee honeys are used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatological, and ophthalmic ailments as they contain compounds with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal activities. Here, a comprehensive physicochemical characterization of Mexican stingless bee honeys is presented as a contribution to strengthening the practice of meliponiculture by native Mayan and Totonac communities. By delivering information on the main physicochemical parameters for the honeys of Melipona beecheii and Scaptotrigona mexicana, it is intended to increase their commercial and biocultural value in different regions of Mexico, taking into consideration the different zootechnical management techniques used by these communities. A statistical analysis was performed to identify if there were significant differences in the physicochemical parameters evaluated. Significant differences were observed in moisture level, pH, sugar composition, and HMF content between at least two of the honeys analyzed. Furthermore, a principal component analysis confirmed these differences by showing a distinct profile for Scaptotrigona mexicana honey when compared to the honeys of two other species. Here, the information that stingless beekeepers can use to classify and characterize the honeys they produce is provided. This information will complement the indisputable efforts by native populations to conserve biological biodiversity, the defense of their territories, and the various ancestral practices employed for the breeding, management, and reproduction of stingless bees. Furthermore, this information will help to increase the economic sustainability of meliponiculture by these communities.Graphical

Dilemmas of making and unmaking environmental and cultural heritage in Southern Belize

ABSTRACT Heritage is defined and maintained through complex and changing processes. In what ways might heritage scholars and practitioners understand dynamic complexities theoretically, methodologically and ethically? Through reflections on involvement in environmental and cultural heritage initiatives with Maya communities in southern Belize, this paper argues for an explicit forefronting of community aims and goals in heritage-focused project design and implementation. It demonstrates how cultural anthropologists involved in collaborative projects with archaeologists, non-governmental and/or community organisations may use ethnographic approaches to push collectively towards decolonial, community archaeologies. The challenges of ethnographers and archaeologists working together to document heritage past and present are critically and reflexively analysed, using frameworks rooted in environmental anthropology to capture the fluid and negotiated nature of heritage constructions by exploring what it means to live a ‘good life’ in Maya communities in Belize. The insights generated for developing a decolonising approach for future work of this type are also considered. By challenging what constitutes project ‘success’, and discussing the questions simultaneously posed and revealed by the long-term community projects detailed here, the paper argues for a more collaborative, nuanced and fluid conceptualisation of what constitutes heritage, and who is served by its documentation and dissemination.

Managing diarrhoea in Guatemala's Mayan communities

Managing diarrhoea in Guatemala's Mayan communities

Beyond the binary sex-gender system in Tseltal Mayan communities: Embodiment of two cases of youth sex-gender dissidence experiences in San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, Mexico

BackgroundThe link between female and male energies from the Mayan epistemology gives space to gender categories beyond the colonial binary sex-gender system that are still being embodied by contemporary teenage sex-gender dissidences from rural communities. Objective: This article aims to analyze, with a postcolonial and non-binary gender perspective, the violence and self-care strategies of two Tseltal Mayan youths who openly live sexualities and genders dissident to hetero-cis-normativity in the rural community of San Juan Cancuc, Mexico. Measure: The study followed an ethnography and autobiographical method design, supported by 3 in-depth interviews to each participant between 14–17 years old, self-identifying as Tseltal Mayan, with an open sex dissident life: one Cis-Male with a fluid gender identity and one Antsil-Winik, a non-binary Tseltal Maya gender. Security protocols were used to create safe conditions to each participant in the study. The importance of the linguistic and cultural two-way translation process between Tseltal and Spanish was considered as well. Results: The study revealed the multifactorial violence against rural Mayan teenage sex-gender dissidents in their own communities and in diverse social spheres. That violence increases if the teenager expresses a gender identity like Antsil-Winik, which breaks the binary sex-gender system. Conclusions: Family support, access to education and healthcare, bilingual abilities (Tseltal-Spanish) and migrations become important tools to create emancipation conditions and solidarity actions among the Tseltal teenage sex-gender dissidences.

Antivirulence and antipathogenic activity of Mayan herbal remedies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe Yucatan Peninsula has a privileged wealth of vascular plants with which various Mayan herbal formulations have been developed. However, studies on their antipathogenic and antivirulence properties are scarce. Aim of the studyIdentify antivirulence properties in Mayan herbal remedies and determine their antipathogenic capacity in burn wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Materials and methodsAn ethnobotanical study was conducted in Mayan communities in central and southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. Furthermore, the antipathogenic capacity of three Mayan herbal remedies was analyzed using an animal model of thermal damage and P. aeruginosa infection. Antivirulence properties were determined by inhibiting phenotypes regulated by quorum sensing (pyocyanin, biofilm, and swarming) and by the secretion of the ExoU toxin. The chemical composition of the most active herbal remedy was analyzed using molecular network analysis. ResultsIt was found that topical administration of the remedy called “herbal soap” (HS) for eleven days maintained 100% survival of the animals, reduced establishment of the bacteria in the burn and prevented its systemic dispersion. Although no curative effect was recorded on tissue damaged by HS treatment, its herbal composition strongly reduced swarming and ExoU secretion. Through analysis of Molecular Networks, it was possible to carry out a global study of its chemical components, and identify the family of oxindole monoterpenoid alkaloids and carboline and tetrahydropyrididole alkaloids. In addition, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, and quinic acid derivatives were detected. ConclusionsThe antipathogenic and antivirulence capacity of ancient Mayan remedies makes them a potential resource for developing new antibacterial therapies to treat burns infected by P. aeruginosa.

Beekeeping from the South

Abstract This article examines the role of the stingless bee Melipona beecheii in beekeeping practices in the Yucatán Peninsula, México, in the nineteenth century. Native to Yucatán, the Melipona bee is capable of producing large amounts of honey and has been bred by Maya communities for over three thousand years. In the twentieth century, the Melipona population declined with the implementation of modern apiculture, a system designed to maximize the production of honey and wax with the European native honeybee, Apis mellifera. Previous scholarship on beekeeping has labeled the development of modern apiculture and the systematic expansion of the European honeybee across the Americas as a success story. However, these studies do not consider the cultural, economic, and social transformations brought by the introduction of Apis mellifera in environments that were already rich in bee biodiversity. In order to provide some clues about the impact of—and responses to—modern apiculture, this article focuses on the moment before this process occurred in the Yucatán Peninsula, when Melipona was still environmentally, culturally, and economically significant. The author argues that, far from being an unchanging cultural practice doomed to be superseded by modern apiculture, Melipona beekeeping continued to adapt in sophisticated ways to a modernizing world. During a period of upheaval, extraction of natural resources, environmental exploitation, violence, and Indigenous peoples’ defense of their land, the Melipona continued to be the only domesticated bee species used for beeswax and honey extraction in the entire peninsula during the nineteenth century.

Settling down at Ceibal and Cuello: variation in the transition to sedentism across the Maya lowlands

During the Middle Preclassic period (c. 1000–350 BCE), the people of the Maya lowlands transitioned from a mobile horticulturalist to sedentary farming lifestyle, exemplified by permanent houses arranged around patios and rebuilt over generations. Early evidence of this change has been found in northern Belize, in the Belize Valley, and at Ceibal, Guatemala. At Cuello and other sites in northern Belize, mortuary rituals tied to ancestor veneration created inequality from the beginning of sedentary life. There, relatively dense populations facilitated the emergence of competitive sociopolitical strategies. However, Maya communities in different regions adopted different aspects of sedentism at different times and employed different power strategies. Unlike Cuello, Ceibal was founded as a ceremonial center by semi-mobile people. Middle Preclassic ritual practices at Ceibal and in the Belize Valley were associated with more collective leadership. At the end of this period, increased population densities contributed to a shift to more exclusionary rituals and political strategies throughout the lowlands.

“This is the Psychology we Need”: Maya immigrant views on mental health treatment

displaced Maya communities. To pursue knowledge about the communities’ visions for thriving in the United States, I worked with Maya leaders in Ohio to coordinate a series of dialogues utilizing a Participatory Action Research paradigm. Participants exposed ways in which Western institutions (including hospitals, mental health providers, and schools) reenact elements of colonialism and fail to offer culturally sensitive care. The participants emphasized a key missing element in their well-being: renewing the relationship with the Earth that they lost through colonization and forced migration. To separate physical/mental health from these elements would deny the current ecological realities at the heart of the migrants’ existence. It would also recreate Eurocentric false division among mind, body, soul, and spirit. Maya focus group participants claimed that a decolonial approach to healing could be initiated by returning land to the communities, which they could use for cultivation, community gathering, food sovereignty, and sacred practices. Praxis participants offered critical guidance in re-imagining health and healing in community with each other and with the Earth, which they identified as the sources of flourishing, identity, cultural history, belonging, and spiritual connection.

Phlebotomine sand flies in rural Mayan communities of Southern Mexico: The heterogeneity of the ruralscape increases the entomological risk

In the Yucatan Peninsula, tropical preserved forests harbor a high diversity of phlebotomine sand fly species, potential vectors of Leishmania. As a result, a significant risk of contracting localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is associated with entry into these forest ecosystems. However, with the current trajectory of land use in the region, communities now live within modified landscapes which could increase their risk of contact with vectors. In this study, we characterized the sand fly fauna and its relationship with the characteristics of peridomestic habitats in two rural communities in Yucatan characterized by contrasting records of leishmaniasis. Five human dwellings in each community were randomly selected and the peridomestic landscape was characterized (i.e., type and percentage of land use). For the collection of sand flies, CDC traps were deployed in both the intra and peridomicile. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between communities and ecotopes were estimated considering three separate groups, all species together, zoophilic species, and anthropophilic species. In total, 1, 241 sand flies represented by eight species were collected from November 2021-March 2022. Both communities registered the presence of sand flies in the intra and peridomicile, and females were more abundant than males. However, the greatest diversity of species was recorded in the peridomicile of the community with the highest composition of land uses. Our study demonstrates that the transformation of the forest around the communities favors the abundance and richness of sand flies in the peridomestic environment. We discuss the limitations and implications of our findings regarding the potential risk of the emergence of peri‑rural cycles of leishmaniasis in the region.

Training university teachers in an urban context to educate future teachers in rural Mayan environments: an international cooperation project

Training university teachers in an urban context to educate future teachers in rural Mayan environments: an international cooperation project

Negotiating Heritage Through Practice: Community Engagement at the Intersection of Ethnography and Archaeology

Abstract For Maya communities in southern Belize, environmental and cultural heritage is not a static entity but an everyday lived experience. In this paper, we critically examine this living heritage through reflections on a series of collaborative heritage projects in Mopan and Q'eqchi' Maya communities in southern Belize. We collaborated with community members, community-based organization leaders, and archaeologists to exchange knowledge about land use and land management in the context of supporting and sustaining cultural heritage knowledge and practice. Building on long-term ethno-graphic research in a village with an archaeological site located on community lands, we designed a series of activities utilizing multiple pathways in support of the maintenance of heritage. We consider how sociocultural anthropologists navigate community/archaeology collaborations, documenting the successes and challenges of these groups working together and describing points of tension that have yet to be resolved but reflect broader patterns of negotiated heritage in Belize and beyond.

Boundary-crossing as resilience: the colonisation of the Maya at Lamanai, Belize in the 16th century

During the Colonial Period, Maya communities underwent significant social and religious transformations. This paper investigates how the Maya communities of Lamanai, Belize maintained resilience in the 16th century. By examining ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence at Lamanai, especially zoomorphic effigies at two Christian churches, the study demonstrates that resilience was not solely a product of human agency but also arose from engagement with other species and materials. Drawing influence from process philosophy, this paper redefines resilience as a dynamic and creative process encompassing active adaptation, reorganisation, and transformation. It argues that the ability to cross boundaries is essential to resilience. Maya communities were able to transcend the boundaries of properties, entities, realities, and cultures, which enabled them to re-envision their relationships with others and the world. Boundary-crossing allowed them to navigate complex changes with ease and integrate diverse cultural elements into their identity, ultimately fostering resilience in the face of colonial challenges.

APROVECHAMIENTO DE LA FAUNA EN HUERTOS FAMILIARES Y SELVA EN DOS COMUNIDADES DE YUCATÁN, MÉXICO

<p><strong>Background</strong>. Human societies have always depended on animals to satisfy different needs such as food, shelter, company, medicine, religion, among others. In Mayan rural areas, at present, the use of fauna is daily, so it is necessary to evaluate the relationships established between them and it is necessary to recognize the value of importance that animals have. <strong>Objective.</strong> To characterize the use of animals in the homegardens and forest of Mayan communities of Sahcabá and Sanahcat in Yucatan. Qualitative tools such as: interviews, participant observation and questionnaire were used. <strong>Results:</strong> Twenty-eight animal species were mentioned as useful: 11 in homegardens and 18 in forest; divided into mammals (7 in homegardens, 10 in forest), birds (4 in homegardens, 3 in forest), reptiles (3 in forest) e insect (1 in forest). Chicken, in homegardens, and the deer, in forest, had the highest use value (SUT = 0.86 and 0.84, respectively). Animals are economically important to families and provide them with food. Five species of fauna in homegardens and 2 in forest ones were mentioned with medicinal use for the treatment of 13 different diseases. Hunting, in growing areas and in the dry season, was the main means of obtaining animal biomass, with 15 species of wild fauna hunted for food. <strong>Implications</strong>: The results contribute to understanding the importance of wild and domestic fauna in the culture, food, and economy of rural families, as well as the role that families play in their conservation. <strong>Conclusions</strong>: The knowledge and use of fauna in homegardens and forest satisfy economic, nutritional, medicinal, and cultural (stories and legends) needs in the studied communities. Although this knowledge is still valid, losses of it are identified in the population of young people and children.</p>

Introduction

Introduction

The Truth About Deer, Turtles, and Dogs: An Examination of the Ancient Maya Human-Faunal Interaction

This paper examines how Mayan individuals, families, and communities living in Mesoamerica from approximately 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1550 interacted with deer, turtles, and dogs. Data collated from archaeological, ethnohistoric, ethnographic, and written/artistic records is reviewed, and summarizes the symbolic, ritual, and ceremonial significance of these animals in the Preclassic to Postclassic Maya world.
 Deer, turtles, and dogs played important roles in the subsistence economy of Mayan individuals and family groups. Chi-square statistical analyses of the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) and Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) of deer, turtles, and dogs recovered from 10 Mayan archaeological sites (6 inland and 4 coastal) indicates that the availability of these animals differed at inland versus coastal locations and over time. These differences can be attributed to a combination of factors including, but not limited to, local ecosystems, changes in humidity, precipitation, and sunlight conditions, and variations in human exploitation patterns over time.

Class processes and agrarian change in southern Belize, 1981–2020

ABSTRACT Environmental and agrarian changes are proceeding rapidly in southern Belize. Despite common recognition of these changes, little research has attempted to examine the class processes involved in social and environmental change. We trace how capitalism has transformed household reproduction over the past four decades, focusing on two key pathways by which these changes unfold: the commercialization of land use and the education of the labour force. Emerging class processes in the Maya communities undermine subsistence agriculture, generate inequality between households and genders, and magnify conflicts over land. These effects complicate struggles for communal land rights and class solidarity.

Stuck with Tourism: Space, Power, and Labor in Contemporary Yucatán

Stuck with Tourism: Space, Power, and Labor in Contemporary Yucatán

Social Identity and Activism in Maya Communities - Good Maya Women: Migration and Revitalization of Clothing and Language in Highland Guatemala. By Joyce N. Bennett. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama press, 2022. Pp. 146. $49.95 cloth; $49.95 e-book

Social Identity and Activism in Maya Communities - Good Maya Women: Migration and Revitalization of Clothing and Language in Highland Guatemala. By Joyce N. Bennett. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama press, 2022. Pp. 146. 49.95 e-book - Volume 80 Issue 1

INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA

In southeast Mexico, Maya girls have to memorize and repeat without fully understanding the subjects taught, practices commonly seen in rural villages due to the lack of acceptance of multilingualism in the classroom and failure in incorporating indigenous knowledge in the pedagogical practices. Additionally, gender norms limit even more their participation in school. Therefore, this research aims to analyze inclusive educational practices from the experience of rural teachers who favored the educational advancement of girls in Maya communities. For this purpose, this study was developed under a variety of mixed research methods that included a quantitative data from institutions dedicated to the promotion of the educational rights of women and indigenous peoples in Mexico and the world. These were used to sketch the context of the educational practices. The use and implementation of the educational practices themselves was studies by a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews revealing the narrative of the work and educational experiences of rural teachers. It was found that indigenous education policies promote gender and ethnocultural equality by integrating knowledge, cultural practices and the valuing of linguistic diversity in the rural classroom; however, in practice, the teaching of Spanish prevails over the Mayan language. In addition, poverty, gender norms and the lack of basic services that still prevail in rural communities hinder both girls and boys to achieve higher levels of education.

CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF WARFARE IN THE MAYA WORLD

AbstractArchaeological studies worldwide have revealed a wide range of cultural contexts within which practices of violence and warfare have occurred. In Mesoamerica, ongoing studies have enriched our understanding of social contexts of violence and warfare in Maya societies. This expanding body of field data allows deeper exploration of the ways violence was intricately linked to different aspects of cultural life for many Maya communities. In this article, we contemplate the culturally embedded nature of violence and warfare with a specific focus on the Classic period and questions related to political strategy, ritual practices, and total warfare. We provide empirical frameworks for the study of war to address issues of ritual warfare and societal impact, and we emphasize a regional scale of analysis.