Paisajes e identidad en la sierra de Tabasco

Abstract

Throughout the history of Mesoamerican societies, collective ideas regarding the environment have played a fundamental part in the definition of each culture, their identity and systems of thought. Yet how far can an environmental explanation delimit the development of a group and its cultural expressions? And, to what point does the gaze of human kind define her environment? In the Sierra region of the state of Tabasco (southern Mexico), the close links between people and their natural surroundings are expressed in a very particular ways, via a collective memory that reaches back to mythical times. Through their stories and oral traditions, these origin myths are constantly updated and reactivated, taking on new significance in their everyday life and ritual.