Abstract

VELAZQUEZ SOLIS, Alberto C.. In defense of the ancestral territory: activism, anthropological proficiency and agrarian trial. Península [online]. 2023, vol.18, n.2, pp.9-33.  Epub Apr 23, 2024. ISSN 1870-5766.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cephcis.25942743e.2023.18.2.85937.

This article describes a territorial conflict between two ejidos, which dates back to the eighties, when the agrarian authorities created a second nucleus that was endowed with lands that had previously been assigned to the ejido of Kanxoc. In the wake of this conflict, an agrarian trial was initiated, which is still unresolved. Within this litigation, an anthropological expert opinion was requested by the ejido of Kanxoc to determine the ancestral possession that they have had as a Mayan community, and to clarify the historical process by which the same land surface was endowed twice. This text shows some reflections on the anthropological expertise from the role of activism in the defense of the territory.

Keywords : ancestral territory; ejido; anthropological proficiency; activism.