Traditions and territories of Maya women in the Peninsula of Yucatán

Abstract

Following decolonial and feminist geographic perspectives, in this paper I look at the everyday (re)productive work of Maya women in their home-gardens in the Peninsula of Yucatán, Mexico. Building from the notion that our territories are constructed from our bodies, I engaged with the knowledges, experiences, and practices that Maya women have accumulated, as they face the challenges and joys of caring for their environment and their families. Using methodological pluralism that included conversations, walks, and surveys, I met with 38 women from 11 communities in the Peninsula. This approach allowed for a better interpretation and understanding of the realities of these women than a single method could provide. In these meetings, we talked about their daily work in their solar through experiences and stories about plants and food. The solar, also called home-garden, is part of a multiple use of the territory strategy of Maya communities. Within the solar, women grow food and do other activities necessary for sustaining life. In the work they do, women generate and reproduce knowledge and traditions that highlight the connections between communities and their territories. Particularly, their agrobiodiverse knowledge is key for shaping healthy bodies and territories. Facing a colonial/modern world, Maya women reclaim these ways of life and the validity of knowledges generated in these spaces as a way to resist and endure, as they have done for thousands of years.

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