The Community Heritage Project in Tihosuco, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract

Maya culture is usually identified through spectacular ruins of a once great civilization lost in the jungles of Central America. Although the Maya people today see some continuities and connections to this ancient culture, they see an even stronger and more direct connection to their recent history and heritage. The Caste War rebellion in the Yucatan of the mid-nineteenth century is a critical historical moment for the modern Maya of the region and is reflected in the more recent Zapatista movement of Chiapas. These continuities and changes in the representation of the Maya past are the focal point for this paper. The Tihosuco Community Heritage Project, described in this paper, highlights a Maya view of history and the past. This type of community project focuses upon issues of contested heritage and provides a model for the identification and preservation of heritage in the future.