Ethnographic Sketches on the Migration of Peninsular Mayans from Campeche

Abstract

Using oral testimonies, this study analyses the migration of indigenous peoples from the state of Campeche, Mexico. Based on two years of ethnographic work carried out in the region, I propose a diachronic overview of the different migratory processes and variables that the migrants have had to confront in the last five year period, in their attempt to escape the endemic poverty that endures in their communities. Beyond leaving behind their families, homes, communities and cultural continuities, the testimonies I have compiled from the migrants illustrate the mechanisms the Mayan people use –despite tremendous obstacles and distances– to keep alive the crucial links to their place of origin, through a strong sense of belonging based on the permanence of certain sacred symbols.