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5 Continuity and Transformation in Central Mexico: “The Legend of Tepozteco” and the People of Tepoztlán
Author(s) -
VargasBetancourt Margarita
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
archeological papers of the american anthropological association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.783
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1551-8248
pISSN - 1551-823X
DOI - 10.1111/apaa.12046
Subject(s) - legend , mythology , cohesion (chemistry) , colonialism , colonial period , history , identity (music) , sense of place , ethnology , sociology , geography , archaeology , aesthetics , art , economic geography , classics , chemistry , organic chemistry
This chapter takes an ethnohistorical approach to the study of cultural continuity in the town of Tepoztlán, Morelos. During the course of history, the people of Tepoztlán have maintained social cohesion by reenacting a historical legend, the “Legend of Tepozteco,” which brings together pre‐Hispanic and colonial mythologies with contemporary performance art at the base of an ancient temple. This social cohesion produced through performance and place has allowed the community to resist economic projects that have threatened the ecological, cultural, and social identity of their town, such as a movement against the construction of a golf course in 1995.