1 Past is Present: The Production and Consumption of Archaeological Legacies in Mexico

Over the last several decades, scholars have reexamined the importance of spatiality to human life and argued that space produces and is produced by social relationships. This article adopts such a relational understanding of space to examine the production of eco-archaeological tourist attractions in the eastern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and beyond. Specifically, this article considers the common practice of declaring areas encompassing archaeological sites as nature parks or wildernesses. Because so many sites are currently located in areas that have been deemed natural, scholars cannot fully understand the contemporary production of archaeological space without examining the historic production of nature and wilderness. Using the Xcaret Eco-Archaeological Park and the Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh, this article shows that although the creation of archaeological nature parks frequently harms indigenous peoples through processes of spatial colonization and spatial commodification, the production of such spaces can also enable and empower local, marginalized groups. [wilderness, political authority social inequality, community archaeology, the Maya] RESUMEN En lasúltimas décadas, investigadores han reexaminado la importancia de la espacialidad a la vida humana y argumentado que el espacio produce y es producido por las relaciones sociales. Este artículo adopta tal entendimiento relacional del espacio para examinar la producción de atracciones turísticas eco-arqueológicas en el oriente de la península de Yucatán de México y más allá. Específicamente, este artículo considera la práctica común de declararáreas que abarcan sitios arqueológicos como parques de naturaleza o selva. Debido a que muchos sitios están actualmente localizados enáreas que han sido consideradas naturales, investigadores no pueden entender completamente la producción contemporánea de espacio arqueológico sin examinar la producción histórica de la naturaleza y la selva. Usando el Xcaret Eco-Archaelogical Park y el Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh, este artículo muestra que, aunque la creación de parques naturales arqueológicos afecta frecuentemente a los pueblos Indígenas a través de procesos de colonización espacial y comodificación espacial, la producción de tales espacios puede también posibilitar y empoderar a grupos marginados locales. [selva, autoridad política, desigualdad social, arqueología de comunidad, los maya]

Section: The Eastern Yucatan Peninsulamentioning

confidence: 99%

Creating Nature in the Yucatan Peninsula: Social Inequality and the Production of Eco‐Archaeological Parks

Kurnick

2019

“…In an environment where government support for the humanities and social sciences has been in steady decline, anthropologists and archaeologists have increasingly argued that we must continue to be socially relevant and to educate the public about our work's importance (Bollwerk et al. ; Clark and Anderson ; Golden and Scherer ; Mullings ).…”

Section: Reexamination and Reframingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heritage management, governance, diplomacy, and collaboration with indigenous communities have become increasingly important as global power shifts in relation to economic and political changes (Clark and Anderson ; Gfeller ; Human ; Ireland and Schofield ; Plets ; Robinson and Silverman ; Winter ). Tim Winter () argues that because cultural heritage is being appropriated by commercial and political interests all over the world, at the same time that UNESCO is experiencing a reduction in capacity, heritage diplomacy is ever more important.…”

Section: Reexamination and Reframingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research focused on Mexico and ancient Mesoamerican civilizations has made impressive strides in the exploration of the history of patrimony in the region and its complex connections with topics including identity, tourism, the commodification of antiquities, community archaeology, and legacies of knowledge (Clark and Anderson ; Frese ; Peniche ). The past is fundamental to and actively manipulated in the production and persistence of identity (Robinson and Silverman ).…”

Section: Reexamination and Reframingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anthropological Archaeology in 2015: Entanglements, Reflection, Reevaluation, and Archaeology beyond Disciplinary Boundaries

Jones

2016

Archaeologists in 2015 engaged with critical anthropological topics in our search to understand humanity's story, including conflict and cooperation, materiality, ritual, food, environment, and heritage. New shifts in both our theory and our approaches are emerging; lines between traditional publication outlets and gray literature have blurred; open-source publications are now available; and social networking sites, along with blogs, crowdfunding, and data-sharing sites, are changing archaeological practices. At the same time, political challenges to archaeology's

“…Cojtí Ren, 2006;I. Cojtí Ren, 2010;Cuxil, 2010; see also Clark and Anderson, 2015;Henderson and Hudson, 2015;Joyce, 2008;Pezzarossi, 2020). More frequently, researchers working in adjacent regions and subfields have drawn attention to problematic disciplinary histories and their continuing influence on archaeological and heritage discourses and practice (e.g., Armstrong-Fumero, 2018;Breglia, 2006;Browman, 2011;Castañeda, 1996;Castillo Cocom, 2004;Euraque, 1998;Evans, 2004;Montejo, 2005;Palacios, 2012;Wainwright, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

Dedrick

McAnany

Alpuche

2023

Archaeologists from the United States working in what is referred to as the Maya area have paid insufficient attention to the structural violence of colonial rule and how their own narratives may perpetuate it. This article addresses the pervasive effects of colonial violence on farming communities in Yucatán, Mexico, which resulted in the undercutting of sustainable livelihoods and the imposition of hierarchies leading to systemic racism. The interpretation of archaeological and historical evidence can reveal the challenges that colonialism and its consequences posed for Indigenous peoples in their daily lives and also distinguish tactics that they used to achieve well-being. Following an account of colonial policies and their outcomes, we demonstrate how closely linked archaeological practice has been with colonial and imperial interests in Yucatán and suggest how archaeologists can reckon with the violence of colonialism and its resonances in archaeology today.