Saberes y sabedores ambientales. Los tatuch ch'oles de Chiapas y el ña'tyibal ch'ol.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Saberes y sabedores ambientales. Los tatuch ch'oles de Chiapas y el ña'tyibal ch'ol. (Spanish).
Alternate Title: Environmental Knowledge and Knowledge Holders. The Tatuch Ch'oles of Chiapas and Ch'ol Ña'tyibal. (English)
Authors: MONTEJO CRUZ, OSCAR, CRUZ SALAZAR, TANIA, DIETZ, GUNTHER
Source: Estudios de Cultura Maya. primavera/verano2026, Vol. 67, p81-112. 32p.
Subjects: TRADITIONAL knowledge, SUSTAINABLE agriculture, ETHNOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY conservation, INTERGENERATIONAL relations, COFFEE growers, ENVIRONMENTAL literacy, SOCIAL change
Abstract (English): This research focuses on environmental knowledge and the meanings that a group of elderly farmers and coffee growers attribute to the earth, the moon, the sun, the cave, and the rain, in relation to their crops and the environment. The methodology used was qualitative with an ethnographic approach, and regarded the study participants as the key holders of local historical knowledge and the primary guardians of community environmental thought. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and a biographical approach were used to produce data on Ch'ol environmental knowledge. The results show that, although ancestral practices linked to biodiversity management and sustainable agriculture persist, these have been transformed and displaced by new practices such as continual logging and slash-and-burn clearing which impoverish soil fertility; the use of agricultural technology packages; the influence of religious ideologies; Hispanization; formal schooling; and migration. It is concluded that intergenerational efforts to revitalize this knowledge would allow ancestral knowledge and traditions to enter into dialogue with the contemporary demands of future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (Spanish): Esta investigación trata sobre los saberes ambientales y los significados que un grupo de ancianos agricultores y cafeticultores atribuye a la tierra, la luna, el sol, la cueva y la lluvia en relación con los cultivos y el medio ambiente. La metodología utilizada fue cualitativa con enfoque etnográfico, y consideró a los participantes del estudio como los sabedores principales en la historia local y como los principales guardianes del pensamiento ambiental comunitario. Las entrevistas semiestructuradas, la observación participante y el enfoque biográfico fueron las técnicas aplicadas para la obtención de datos sobre el saber ambiental ch'ol. Los resultados muestran que, a pesar de que persisten prácticas ancestrales vinculadas al manejo de la biodiversidad y la agricultura sostenible, éstas se han transformado y suplantado por otras nuevas como la tala y la quema constante, que empobrecen la fertilidad del suelo, el uso de paquetes agrotecnológicos, la influencia de ideologías religiosas, la castellanización, la educación escolarizada y la migración. Se concluye que los esfuerzos intergeneracionales para revitalizar tales conocimientos permitirían poner en diálogo a los saberes ancestrales y a las tradiciones con las exigencias contemporáneas de las futuras generaciones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Referencia Latina
Description
Abstract:This research focuses on environmental knowledge and the meanings that a group of elderly farmers and coffee growers attribute to the earth, the moon, the sun, the cave, and the rain, in relation to their crops and the environment. The methodology used was qualitative with an ethnographic approach, and regarded the study participants as the key holders of local historical knowledge and the primary guardians of community environmental thought. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and a biographical approach were used to produce data on Ch'ol environmental knowledge. The results show that, although ancestral practices linked to biodiversity management and sustainable agriculture persist, these have been transformed and displaced by new practices such as continual logging and slash-and-burn clearing which impoverish soil fertility; the use of agricultural technology packages; the influence of religious ideologies; Hispanization; formal schooling; and migration. It is concluded that intergenerational efforts to revitalize this knowledge would allow ancestral knowledge and traditions to enter into dialogue with the contemporary demands of future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:01852574
DOI:10.19130/iifl.ecM.2026.1/0z100Y74810X23