Mayo Ethnobotany: Land, History, And Traditional Knowledge In Northwest Mexico Land, History, And Traditional Knowledge In Northwest Mexico Project Muse Upcc Books

The Mayos, an indigenous people of northwestern Mexico, live in small towns spread over southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa, lands of remarkable biological diversity. Traditional Mayo knowledge is quickly being lost as this culture becomes absorbed into modern Mexico. Moreover, as big agriculture spreads into the region, the natural biodiversity of these lands is also rapidly disappearing. This engaging and accessible ethnobotany, based on hundreds of interviews with the Mayos and illustrated with the authors' strikingly beautiful photographs, helps preserve our knowledge of both an indigenous culture and an endangered environment. This book contains a comprehensive description of northwest Mexico's tropical deciduous forests and thornscrub on the traditional Mayo lands reaching from the Sea of Cortés to the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The first half of the book is a highly readable account of the climate, geology, and vegetation of the region. The authors also provide a valuable history of the people, their language, culture, festival traditions, and plant use. The second half of the book is an annotated list of plants presenting the authors' detailed findings on plant use in Mayo culture. "This book contains a comprehensive description of northwest Mexico's tropical deciduous forests and thornscrub on the traditional Mayo lands reaching from the Sea of Cortes to the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The first half of the book is a highly readable account of the climate, geology, and vegetation of the region. The authors also provide a valuable history of the people and discuss their language, culture, festival traditions, and plant use. The second half of the book is an annotated list of plants presenting the authors' findings on plant use in Mayo culture; it includes an unprecedented lexicon of Mayo plant terminology.". "A resource on the botanical riches of northwestern Mexico, this book is also the most comprehensive account of the Mayo people, their history, and their relationship with land. It compellingly bears out the author's conviction that the land and its resources play a major role in the development of culture."--BOOK JACKET. Illustrations......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1. The People and the Land......Page 18 2. A Brief Ethnography of the Mayos......Page 31 3. Historical and Contemporary Mayos......Page 45 4. Plant and Animal Life......Page 77 5. Eight Plants That Make Mayos Mayos......Page 94 6. Plant Uses......Page 124 7. An Annotated List of Plants......Page 142 Appendix A: Mayo Region Place Names and Their Meanings......Page 288 Appendix B: Yoreme Consultants......Page 291 Appendix C: Gazetteer of the Mayo Region......Page 296 Appendix D: Mayo Plants Listed by Spanish Name......Page 308 Appendix E: Mayo Plants Listed by Mayo Name......Page 318 Appendix F: Glossary of Mayo and Spanish Terms......Page 328 Notes......Page 334 Works Cited......Page 346 Index......Page 352