Mexican Ethnic Groups Research Articles

Conocimiento y aprovechamiento tradicional de vertebrados silvestres en la comunidad maya de Zavala, municipio de Sotuta, Yucatán, México

The relationship between Mexican ethnic groups and wildlife is known by its use for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Particularly, in the Maya culture ornamental and ceremonial uses have been attributed to the fauna. Similarly, different beliefs, stories and legends have been developed around it. The studies conducted to document these relationships in the state of Yucatan are scarce; therefore this work was raised to determine the uses and beliefs of the wildlife in the Maya town of Zavala. 174 semi-structured interviews were conducted among men and women of different ages. The significant species were then divided into seven categories of use: food, medicine, pets, ornamental, ceremonial, mythical, and ominous. 54 species related with the worldview of the residents were identified, and divided into three classes, 20 orders, 38 families, and 54 genera. The birds were the most represented with 30 species, followed by Mammalia class with 19, and Reptilia with 5. Mammals were the group with the highest general use index. With this work, it was concluded that the inhabitants of Zavala preserve in their daily activities the ancestral uses and knowledge of the wildlife. Likewise, the information collected contributes to the knowledge of ethnozoology in Yucatán.

Modos de vida, sostenibilidad y patrimonialización del territorio purépecha, México

El trabajo reflexiona sobre temas emergentes vinculados a modos de vida, sostenibilidad y patrimonialización con el ejemplo de un grupo étnico mexicano ”“ el purépecha ”“ con el propósito de contribuir a una gestión sostenible. El andamiaje teórico-metodológico se apoya en los paradigmas del pensamiento complejo y de la transdisciplina como el camino viable para una mirada más amplia sobre el tema. Además de la revisión bibliográfica y documental, el trabajo se fundamenta en el conocimiento de la cultura purépecha a partir de proyectos de investigación realizados con apoyo de instituciones mexicanas por más de dos décadas. La investigación en campo ha sido factor imprescindible para identificar rasgos culturales y problemáticas en la gestión patrimonial. Los principales aportes del trabajo radican en la identificación y entendimiento de la interdependencia entre las dimensiones socio-culturales, ambientales y patrimoniales de la cultura purépecha.

Low prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus IgG antibodies in Tepehuanos in Mexico

Introduction and objectiveThe epidemiology of infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Tepehuanos (a Mexican ethnic group living in rural areas) is largely unknown. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of and risk factors associated with HEV infection in Tepehuanos in Durango, Mexico, and to compare this seroprevalence with that in non-Tepehuanos. Materials and methodsThrough a case–control seroprevalence study, we studied 146 Tepehuanos and 146 age- and gender-matched control subjects of the general population from rural settings. The frequency of anti-HEV IgG antibodies was determined using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the association between seropositivity and socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics of the Tepehuanos. ResultsIgG antibodies against HEV were found in 5 (3.4%; 95% CI: 1.1–7.8) of 146 Tepehuanos and in 46 (31.5%; 95% CI: 24.1–39.7) of 146 control subjects (OR=0.01; 95% CI: 0.0007–0.20; P<0.000001). Bivariate analysis showed that HEV seropositivity was associated with age, consumption of meat from goat, sheep, boar, turkey and pigeon, and concrete flooring at home. However, these variables were no longer significant when analyzed by logistic regression. ConclusionsThis is first study on the epidemiology of HEV exposure in Tepehuanos. We demonstrated serological evidence of HEV infection in this ethnic group. The seroprevalence of HEV exposure in Tepehuanos is low as compared with that found in non-Tepehuano people living in rural Durango. Further studies to determine the risk factors associated with HEV exposure in Tepehuanos are needed.

Reproductiveand Recruitmentseasons of the Purple SnailPlicopurpura pansa(Gould, 1853) in Oaxaca, Mexico

ABSTRACT The purple dye snail Plicopurpura pansa is recognized as the most important species within the Huatulco National Park (HNP) because its dye is used by Mexican ethnic groups from Oaxaca to dye cotton yarn used to produce ceremonial clothing with cultural value. In the HNP, reproductive and recruitment seasons of this species are scarcely documented, and this information is essential to understand its complete life cycle. The aim of this study was thus to establish when reproductive and recruitment seasons began, reached their maximum, and ended in the HNP. Snail length records were obtained for both sexes, and the mean value of age was estimated using length parameters reported in the literature. For each of the estimated age classes, ranging from 0.5- to +4-y-olds, snail abundance was calculated on a monthly basis. Based on a monthly natural mortality rate estimate of 0.53, virtual population analysis was performed to obtain two population indices: (1) snail spawner virtual abundance (or SS index...

Cultural Integration and Occupational Achievement among Mexican Immigrants along the US-Mexico Border

IntroductionThe paper is a brief investigation into the level and type of among the Mexican-born workers into the U.S. labor market. Mexicans make up the largest immigrant group in the U.S. and they are integral part of the workforce. As of 2014, as BLS reported1, there were 8.8 million (documented) immigrant workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. It is safe to assume that a significant majority of them are Mexican-born. These immigrant workers are making 21 percent less than their native-born Hispanic/Latino counterparts. For the undocumented immigrants, the gap is even larger. For instance, Riverra-Batiz (1999) found that legalization had a significant positive on the earnings of undocumented immigrants. This may be caused by elimination of the monopsonistic power that some employers have over them by allowing immigrants greater access to the labor market.The status and unique characteristics of immigrants, documented or not, have been the subject of many studies. We are particularly interested in their cultural integration/assimilation and the associated economic outcomes.1. Cultural Integration and language acquisitionDifferent immigrant groups display different assimilation characteristics. Mexicanimmigrants generally rank far lower in the Assimilation Index, compared to other countries2. For instance, in 2007, immigrants' assimilation level was measured to be only one-third of the Cuban-born immigrants. They also tend to naturalize very slowly. Of those who arrived between 1975 and 1980, only around 45 per cent had become citizens by 2007. The same rate is around 90 per cent for Vietnamese and around 65 per cent for Italians (Vidgor, 2009).Language skills, along with years spent in the U.S., are generally thought to be a good proxy to measure the level of cultural integration. If English language proficiency is a good proxy for cultural integration, immigrants from Mexico appear to have integrated into American society less rapidly than other groups: only a dismal 49 per cent of immigrants are fluent in English compared to 80 per cent fluency among non-Mexican immigrants. A half of discrepancy, as Lazear (2007) calculates, could be explained by concentration of immigrants in enclaves: those who live in concentrated areas learn English less rapidly and obtain less education. This is what Chiswick (1978) called Mexican ethnic-group effect resulting in initially lower earnings compared to other immigrants. This pattern is only exaggerated by the fact that immigrants on average expect to stay in the U.S. for a shorter time period of time than non-Mexican immigrants.We intend to demonstrate the extent to which cultural measured by English proficiency and age-at-arrival in the U.S. determines the status of immigrants in the job market and, more importantly, whether or not the return on integration varies between El Paso, TX, and Pima, (AZ), two border counties with a heavy immigrant presence. The paper is organized as follows: first, we will study the theoretical and empirical literature that articulates the role of English speaking skills and age at time of migration in determining occupational segregation, and in turn earnings, among Mexican-origin workers. Secondly, we will introduce our data and methodology. Lastly, we will present and interpret the results of our multinomial regression analyses.2. English Skills, migration age and occupational sorting: a literature overviewThere is a modest literature on the effects of language acquisition on labor market outcomes. One of the earlier works in the field was conducted by Rivera-Batiz (1992), using the 1985 Young Adult Literacy Assessment survey, a nationally representative household survey of persons 21 to 25 years old. A reading proficiency test was given to each individual (in place of a self-assessed spoken English rating). …

Establishing cephalometric norms for a Mexican population using Ricketts, Steiner, Tweed and Arnett analyses

Objective: Most existing cephalometric analyses are based on norms for the Caucasian population. Therefore, they cannot be properly applied for Latin-American (Hispanic) patients. It is the purpose of this study to establish specific cephalometric standards for a Mexican ethnic group, using the Ricketts, Steiner, Tweed and Arnett analyses. Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalograms of 100 non-growing patients which consists of 50 females and 50 males with native Mexican features and born in the central regions of Mexico, were traced manually and with the Quick Ceph Image Pro TM computer program. Lateral cephalograms of another subset of 30 patients with pleasant profiles (19 females and 11 males) were traced and Arnett Facial Analysis was performed. Results were statistically analyzed with the t-value, P value ( P Results: The statistical results of these cephalometric norms for a Hispanic population showed significant differences in the upper and lower incisors, facial axis and interincisal angles as well as other cephalometric measurements when compared to the Caucasian norms. Conclusion: These cephalometric norms can be applied for Native Americans from the USA and Latin-Americans from Central and South American countries due to the strong anthropometric, facial and ethnic similarities to the Mexican population.

PDCD1 gene polymorphisms in different Mexican ethnic groups and their role in the susceptibility to hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Objective Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immunological disorder caused by antigen exposure in susceptible individuals. The PDCD1 polymorphisms, PD1.3 and PD1.5 have been associated with the susceptibility to inflammatory disorders. This study was conducted to test whether the PD1.3 and PD1.5 polymorphisms are associated with HP in Mexican patients and to explore the distribution of these polymorphisms in different Mexican ethnic groups. Design and methods We studied 98 Mexican patients with HP and 92 healthy Mexican controls. Also, 156 healthy Amerindian individuals from two ethnic groups were included (96 Mayans and 60 Mayos). Polymorphisms were determined by TaqMan 5′ nuclease assays. Results Significant differences in the distribution of the PD1.3 and PD1.5 genotypes between HP patients and healthy Mestizo controls were not found. We observed a significantly different distribution of these polymorphisms in Mexican Mestizos when compared to the Amerindians. Conclusions We found no association between PD1 polymorphism and HP; however the distribution of these polymorphisms was different in Mexican Mestizos and Amerindians.

Dietary factors related to the increase of cardiovascular risk factors in traditional Tepehuanos communities from Mexico. A 10 year follow-up study

Background and aims Tepehuanos Indians, a traditional Mexican ethnic group, followed a vegetarian diet exhibiting a low prevalence of obesity and the absence of diabetes. However, from the year 2000 the traditional diet of the Tepehuanos was modified by the introduction of western food. In this study we examine the changes in their customary diet and its impact on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in this group. Methods and results Individuals from 12 Tepehuanos communities were randomly enrolled during 1995–1996 and 2006–2007. Using a 64-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire macronutrient intakes were calculated from values of Mexican food-composition tables. Cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia were determined. The median (25, 75 percentile) of total caloric intake (1476 [1083, 1842]–2100 [1366, 2680] kcal/day, p < 0.001) as well as the percentage of energy consumed from saturated fat (3.0 [2.7,4.1]–7.2 [3.9,7.4], p < 0.0001) and protein (8.2 [7.8,8.9]–16.8 [16.3,17.1], p < 0.0001) increased, whereas the percentage of total calorie intake from carbohydrates (66.4 [61.3,69.5]–61.3 [61,68.8], p < 0.0001), polyunsaturated fat (11.2 [10.3,12.1]–4.0 [3.9,4.3], p < 0.0001), and the polyunsaturated:saturated fat ratio (3.84–0.53%, p < 0.0001) decreased during the period of study. The prevalence of obesity (11.1–21.9%, p = 0.04), impaired fasting glucose (5.9–14.9%, p = 0.04), diabetes (0.0–0.88%, p = 0.48), hypertension (1.7–3.4%, p = 0.43), triglycerides (2.6–16.7%, p = 0.0006), and low HDL-cholesterol (10.2–71.1%, p < 0.0001) increased. Conclusions Changes in the customary diet introduced in the Tepehuanos communities are related to the increase of cardiovascular risk factors.

USO MEDICINAL DE LAS PLANTAS POR LOS OTOMÍES DEL MUNICIPIO DE NICOLÁS FLORES, HIDALGO, MÉXICO

The otomies (the hnahnu) of the Nicolas Flores municipality, Hidalgo, have maintained their knowledge of medicinal plants over generations. Allopathic medicine is limited mostly to prevention of diseases such as poliomyelitis, measles, smallpox, and malaria. It is considered that traditional medicine is more viable for this group of people because of the socioeconomic, cultural and physiographic conditions prevalent in the region. The objectives of this work were to identify the medicinal plant species used by the hnahnu, the diseases treated with them, and their geographic affinity. For the field study, interviews were conducted with people in the municipality, and plant samples in different ethno-ecological units were collected. The use of 112 species was reported in treatment of disorders such as shock (susto), stomach pain, kidney pain, diarrhea, fever, and mal de ojo (evil eye), among others. Although most of the inhabitants know the medicinal use of some plant species, the elders are the keepers of the deepest knowledge. In hnahnu wisdom, magical-religious thought is part of their cosmovision. Like other Mexican ethnic groups, they consider the duality cold-hot in the treatment of diseases. The range of diseases the plants presumably heal is very broad, from colds to cancer. 75 % of the species used by this ethnic group are native to the American continent, principally Mexico and Central America (39 %), suggesting that the basic stock of traditional botanical knowledge is still observed.

HLA class I and class II haplotypes in admixed families from several regions of Mexico

We studied HLA class I and class II alleles in 191 Mexican families (381 non-related individuals) to directly obtain the HLA-A/B/DRB1/DQB1 haplotypes and their linkage disequilibrium (LD). The most frequent HLA haplotypes observed were: A*02-B*39-DRB1*04-DQB1*0302, A*02-B*35-DRB1*04-DQB1*0302, A*68-B*39-DRB1*04-DQB1*0302, A*02-B*35-DRB1*08-DQB1*04, A*33-B*1402-DRB1*01-DQB1*05, and A*24-B*35-DRB1*04-DQB1*0302. The four most common haplotypes found by our study involve those previously reported in Amerindian populations. LD analysis of HLA–A-B and HLA-B-DRB1 loci showed significant associations between A29(19)-B44(12), A33(19)-B65(14), A1-B8, A26(19)-B44(12), A24(9)-B61(40), B65(14)-DR1, B8-DR17(3), B44(12)-DR7, B7-DR15(2), and B39(16)-DR4. Also, all DRB1-DQB1 associations showed significant LD values. Admixture estimations using a trihybrid model showed that Mexicans from the State of Sinaloa (Northern Mexico) have a greater proportion of European genetic component compared with Mexicans from the Central area of Mexico, who have a greater percentage of Amerindian genes. Our results are important for future comparative genetic studies of different Mexican ethnic groups with special relevance to disease association and transplantation studies.

High‐resolution molecular characterization of the HLA class I and class II in the Tarahumara Amerindian population

We describe for the first time the high-resolution profiling of HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1 in a culturally and geographically distinct Mexican ethnic group, the Tarahumaras. The alleles most frequently found by reference strand-mediated conformational analysis in this population were for class I: HLA-A*240201, *020101/09, *0206, *310102, *680102; HLA-B*4002, *1501, *510201, *3501/02/03, *4005, *4801; HLA-Cw*0304, *0801, *0102, *040101; and for class II: HLA-DRB1*080201, *1402, *040701; HLA-DQB1*0402, *0301, *0302/07; HLA-DPB1*0402, *0401, *020102. In addition, a novel allele, HLA-A*0257, was found. Based on comparison of presently known HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 allele frequencies in Amerindian groups and worldwide populations, the Tarahumaras are unexpectedly more related to the geographically and linguistically distant Aymara and Terena Amerindian groups than they are to neighbouring tribes.

Process and dynamics of traditional selling wild edible mushrooms in tropical Mexico

BackgroundMore than twelve temperate-inhabitant Mexican ethnic groups are considered to be mycophilic and to have extensive traditional mycological knowledge. In contrast, inhabitants of tropical lands have been studied only superficially and their mycological knowledge is less well known. In this paper, we report the results of an ethnomycological research in markets of a wide area of the Mexican tropics. Our aims were to describe the dynamics related to the traditional selling process of wild mushrooms and to determine the tendencies of informants toward mushrooms (mycophily vs. mycophoby).MethodsWe visited 25 markets of 12 different settlements in the states of Oaxaca, Tabasco and Veracruz and collected information by participant observation as well as by 291 non-structured and semi-structured interviews.ResultsMushroom selling was observed in four towns in Oaxaca and in two in Tabasco. Women represented 81.82% of sellers, while indigenous people (Chinantecos, Chontales, Ch'oles and Zoques) comprised 68.18%. Mushroom commercialization took place in secondary mobile markets and only in peasant stands. Mushroom collectors gather the resource in places with secondary vegetation, farmed areas and cattle fields. Because of land tenure restrictions mushroom sellers did not normally collect mushrooms themselves. In Oaxaca, we observed economic dynamics not based on capitalism, such as exchange, reciprocity and barter.ConclusionThe sale of some wild edible mushrooms, the large amounts of commercialization of Schizophyllum commune, the complicated intermediary process, as well as the insertion of mushrooms into different informal economic practices are all evidence of an existent mycophily in a sector of the population of this region of the Mexican tropics. Among our informants, urban mestizo people were mycophobic, rural mestizo people were non-mycophilic and indigenous people were true mycophilic.

Forensic potential of the STR DXYS156 in Mexican populations: inference of X-linked allele null

The pentanucleotide STR (TAAAA)n DXYS156 offers advantages for genetic identity testing. In addition to establish the gender, DXYS156 expands the DNA profile and is able to indicate the possible geographic origin of the individual. We analyzed DXYS156 in 757 individuals of both sexes from Mexican populations. We studied the cosmopolitan Mestizo population and six Mexican ethnic groups: Tarahumaras, Purépechas, Nahuas, Mayas, Huicholes and Mezcala Indians. The six shorter (4–10) and the three larger alleles (11–13) were specific for the X and Y-chromosomes, respectively. A random distribution of alleles into genotypes was observed in males and females from each population. We estimated the power of exclusion for paternity testing according to the son's gender, and the power of discrimination in forensic casework. In addition, we detected a relatively high frequency of an X-linked allele null, principally in Mexican–Mestizos (3.6%), which must be considered when DXYS156 be applied for identification purposes.

In vitro anti- Vibrio cholerae activity of essential oil from Lepechinia caulescens

Lepechinia caulescens is a plant employed by the Purepecha (a Mexican ethnic group) to treat infectious gastrointestinal ailments. The essential oil of this species was active against some strains of Vibrio cholerae with 4 μl/ml MIC and 6 μl/ml MBC. The major components of the oil found by GC-MS were borneol, camphor and trans-caryophyllene.

DNA polymorphism analysis of candidate genes for type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Mexican ethnic group

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disorder resulting from the action and interaction of many genetic and environmental factors. It has been reported that polymorphisms in genes involved in the metabolism of glucose are associated with the susceptibility to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus increases with age, as well as with obesity and hypertension, its prevalence and incidence are different among geographical regions and ethnic groups. In Mexico, a higher prevalence and incidence has been described in the south of the country, and differences between urban and rural communities have been observed.We studied 73 individuals from Santiago Jamiltepec, a small indigenous community from Oaxaca State, Mexico. This population has shown a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the Pst I (insulin gene), Nsi I (insulin receptor gene) and Gly972Arg (insulin receptor substrate 1 gene) polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and hypertension in this population. Clinical evaluation consisted of BMI and blood pressure measurements, and biochemical assays consisted of determination of fasting plasma insulin and glucose levels. PCR and restriction enzyme digestion analysis were applied to genomic DNA to identify the three polymorphisms. From statistical analysis carried out here, individually, the Pst I, Nsi I and Gly972Arg polymorphisms were not associated with the type 2 diabetes, obese or hypertensive phenotypes in this population. Nevertheless, there was an association between the Nsi I and Pst I polymorphisms and increased serum insulin levels.

Determination of Dextromethorphan and Dextrorphan in Human Urine by High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Pharmacogenetic Investigations

The aim of the present study was to develop a sensitive method to measure dextromethorphan and dextrorphan in urine by HPLC to support pharmacogenetic studies in ethnic groups. Linearity was assessed in the range: 0.015–10 μg mL−1 for dextromethorphan and 1-10 μg mL−1 for dextrorphan. Inter and intra-day coefficients of variation were < 10%. Limits of detection and quantitation were 0.003 μg mL−1 and 0.015 μg mL−1 for dextromethorphan and 0.24 μg mL−1 and 1.0 μg mL−1 for dextrorphan, respectively. The method is reliable in helping determine the phenotype of Mexican ethnic groups using model drugs such as dextromethorphan.

Population differentiation and phenotypic plasticity of wild and agrestal populations of the annual Anoda cristata (Malvaceae) growing in two contrasting habitats

Anoda cristata is a widelydistributed annual weed in Mexico, which grows as agrestal or naturally indisturbed and undisturbed vegetation, respectively. Plants of this species aretolerated in orchards and corn-bean fields by Mexican ethnic groups ofCentral Mexico. Leaves of the plants are used as a food source, andoccasionallyseeds are sown in orchards. Because Mexicans have used Anodacristata for a long time, it is possible that ecological andmorphological characteristics of managed populations differ from those of wildpopulations. In this study, we analyzed phenotypic responses of two populationsof A. cristata (wild and agrestal) growing in twohabitats (forest and cultivated field) comparing survivorship, andlife history traits. Natural progenies from wild and agrestal populations ofA. cristata were transplanted into a cultivated field andin the understory of a pine forest in a reciprocal transplant experiment.Results showed that the habitat of transplant and the origin of populations hadsignificant effect on all plant characters measured (growth, phenology, andbiomass allocation), but the habitat x origin interaction wasnon-significant. In general, plants from the agrestal population grewfaster, reproduced earlier, and allocated more biomass to reproduction, thanplants from the wild population. Similarly, significant effects of habitat andorigin on plant survivorship were detected, but the origin of populationsexplained the largest proportion of variance in plant survival. Most traitswerephenotypically plastic but there were no differences in the magnitude ordirection of the response between populations. In contrast both populationsshowed differentiation for most character mean values. Populationdifferentiation is possibly the result of genetic differences driven byprocesses other than incipient domestication.

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Various Plant Extracts Used by Purépecha against some Enterobacteriaceae

Aqueous extracts of some medicinal plants used by Purépecha (a Mexican ethnic group) for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases were tested against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella boydii. Antimicrobial activity was detected in extracts from Lepechinia caulescens (Ort.) Epl., Lepidium virginicum L. and Tanacelum parthenium (L.) Sch. Bip.

Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban Ethnic Groups in First-Year College-Level Spanish Textbooks

Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban Ethnic Groups in First-Year College-Level Spanish Textbooks