Lived Heritage of Colonialism at Tahcabo, YucatÁn, MÉxico

Abstract

Knowledge of the archaeological expression of colonialism at Tahcabo, Yucatán, México—occupied since 300 BCE—is a work in progress that is both aided and hindered by the continued occupation of the town. Likewise, colonial heritage is a lived experience in this old Yucatec Maya town that exhibits great pride in the tradition of bull fighting and the remains of an early colonial church. Employing a community-collaborative approach to understanding Indigenous-Spanish colonial interaction, this chapter explores (a) the history of Spanish colonial entanglements; (b) the slow, long-durational violence of colonialism, particularly in reference to agriculture and food security; (c) difficult discourses that reveal how archaeology can either reinforce or work against the violence of colonialism; and (d) two community initiatives—an archaeological investigation of the material imprint of colonialism in domestic contexts and a community museum. Both attempt to bend the arc toward a decolonized future.

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