Abstract

PAGE PLIEGO, Jaime Tomás. The Importance of the Body Within the Complex of the Notion of Personhood Among Contemporary Mayans From Oxchuc, Chamula and Chenalhó in Chiapas State. Rev. pueblos front. digit. [online]. 2014, vol.9, n.18, pp.35-48. ISSN 1870-4115.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cimsur.18704115e.2014.18.21.

There is a tendency to assume that the Tsotsil and Tseltal communities in the Chiapas Highlands (Altos de Chiapas) share the same notion of personhood. However, the way this notion is constructed does vary substantially without losing a common foundation. This piece of research deals with the similarities and differences present in the concept of personhood complex in three different municipalities: Oxchuc -a tseltal-speaking community-, Chamula and Chenalhó -tsotsil-speaking communities-, and emphasizes the importance of the body in this concept. It also addresses the permutations that have emerged around this notion since 1940, under the escalating influence of Christian proselytism.

Keywords : personhood; differences and similarities; transfiguration.