Abstract

OCHOA FONSECA, Fredy Alfonso et al. Changes in Residence System, Domestic Groups and Family at Lacanja Chansayab from the Theory of Cultural Control. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2021, vol.57, pp.245-274.  Epub Mar 26, 2021. ISSN 0185-2574.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.57.2021.18659.

The matrilocal system of residence of the Lacandons of Lacanjá Chansayab, Chiapas, has been described by several authors as a fundamental cultural element that is still conserved. This system is associated to the social reproduction of the ethnic group and the sustainability of the Lacandon jungle. This form of organization transcends the residence group and combines the domestic group and the family. Through ethnography, this research shows how this form of organization, called vejo’ovex, has changed towards ambilocality. The article aims to discuss the causes and implications of such change which is framed in the theory of cultural control, focused on the material elements associated with territory and home. Three triggers of change are identified, the sedentary and subsequent land titling in the 70s, the immigration of Lacandons from other areas, and the conformation of family businesses dedicated to ecotourism. Among the conclusions found, the elements: territory, Vejo'ovex and work, transit between appropriated culture to alienated culture, linked with transformations in the concepts of inheritance, property, residence, and family.

Keywords : Cultural change; kinship; heritage; Lacandon; Chiapas.

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