Maya Or Mestizo?

“Rarely do ethnographers take such a comprehensive and informed look at the places they work as Loewe has in this book. Based on more than 20 years of with local cultural and economic processes, this ethnography offers a panoramic view of Yucatan life, history, and politics—all through the very intimate lens of Maxcanu, a small community at the literal, and figurative, intersection of the global economy.”—Walter Little, Suny Albany

“Pointing to the now familiar processes of strategic essentialism, revitalization of traditions, witchcraft, notalgia, and resistance that often occur when modernity and indigeneity mix and meet, Maya or Mestizo? exposes the effects of the global economy on the local—the transformation of ritual to theatre and the changing meaning of symbols—Its accessible style and attention to the Mayas’ irreverent humor will appeal to undergraduates. Linking parody with national patrimony, the Eagle Witch with commerce, and performance with the presentation of indigenous culture, it will also attract scholars of Latin Ameriica, Folklore, Anthropology, and Performance Studies.”—Beverly Stoeltje, Indiana University

The Maya of the Yucatan have long been drawn into the Mexican state’s attempt to create modern Mexican citizens (mestizos). At the same time, they have contended with globalization pressures, first with hemp production and more recently with increased tourism and the fast-growing influence of American-based evangelical Protestantism. Despite these pressures to turn Maya into mestizo, the citizens of the small town of Maxcanu have used subtle forms of resistance—humor, satire, and language—to maintain aspects of their traditional identity.

Loewe offers a contemporary look at a Maya community caught between tradition and modernity. He skilfully weaves the history of Mexico and this particular community into the analysis, offering a unique understanding of how one local community has faced the onslaught of modernization.