Writing about Aj Pop B'atz': Bruce Grindal and the Transformation of Ethnographic Writing

Summary The works of B ruce G rindal teach us many things about anthropology's humanistic tradition. With examples such as R edneck G irl and “ P ostmodernism as S een by the B oys at D ownhome A uto R epair,” B ruce G rindal demonstrated how we can creatively engage our ethnographic writing to reflect lived experiences. In this article, I examine B ruce's influence on my ethnographic writing and collaborative research in the M aya community of S an J uan C hamelco, G uatemala. Since 2006, I have worked collaboratively with a group of C hamelqueños to investigate the story of their local hero, A j P op B ’atz’. In the 16th century, A j P op B ’atz’ welcomed S panish invaders to C hamelco in peace, avoiding the death and destruction suffered by indigenous communities elsewhere. Today, he is revered as a model of indigenous identity. Throughout our work together, my collaborators and I sought outlets to share the information learned through our research with the community. In 2012, we co‐wrote a bilingual children's book about A j P op B ’atz’ for use in C hamelco's schools. This book offered school children a chance to reconnect with their history, lost through decades of state‐sponsored violence. The A j P op B ’atz’ project, inspired by B ruce G rindal's legacy, reveals that ethnographic writing can inform creative collaborative projects, making them accessible to those outside of academia and those with whom we work in the field.