Book

The Maya of east central Quintana Roo

Carnegie Institution of WashingtonWashington, D.C. • Published In 1945 • Pages: xii, 182 , plates

By: Villa Rojas, Alfonso.

Abstract
The subtribe of X-Cacal in Quintana Roo was selected for study as an illustration of one end of the folk-urban continuum in Yucatan. Since the group was isolated, the Villa Rojas supposed their culture might be more stable and unmodified. However, he does point out later in the text that a 'new and distinctive culture' was produced in the nineteenth century as a result of isolation following the War of the Castes (1847-1853). Some unique features were the politico-religious system of social control centering around the Cult of the Cross, and the division into military companies. After a preliminary reconnaissance in 1932, Villa Rojas returned the following year as a traveling merchant in order to establish rapport with the group. The major part of the investigation (1935-1936) was carried out employing more usual ethnographic methods. The sum total of time in the field was one year. Part I of the source is a history of Quintana Roo providing a background to Part II, which is a comprehensive ethnographic account of the culture of the subtribe. Although there are nine communities, most of the data were gathered in X-Cacal and Tusik villages. An annotated bibliography of the Caste War and Allied Topics, by Howard F. Cline appears as Appendix C.
Subjects
Prehistory
History
Acculturation and culture contact
Cereal agriculture
Division of labor by gender
Arranging a marriage
Kinship terminology
Kin relationships
External relations
Revolution
Spirits and gods
Organized ceremonial
culture
Maya (Yucatán Peninsula)
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Maya Area
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Joan Steffens ; 1965
Field Date
1932-1936
Coverage Date
prehistory - ca. 1937
Coverage Place
X-Cacal subtribe, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Notes
Alfonso Villa R.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-182)
LCCN
45007325
LCSH
Mayas