Where Did the Eastern Mayas Go?: The Historical, Relational, and Contingent Interplay of Ch'orti' Indigeneity

Where Did the Eastern Mayas Go? explores the sociohistorical transformations of the Chorti Maya population over the past two millennia, focusing on their identity as Indigenous people. The book is an engaged, activist ethnography that collaborates with a marginalized population and examines identity through language, history, traditions, rurality, "blood," lineage, discrimination, and more.

Format: Hardback
Length: 418 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Brent E. Metz delves into the intricate question of who is Indigenous by examining the sociohistorical transformations that have occurred over the past two millennia among the population currently known as the Chorti Maya. Epigraphers concur that the language of elite writers in the Classic Maya civilization was Proto-Cholan, which served as the precursor to the Maya languages Chorti, Cholti, Chol, and Chontal. When the Spanish arrived in the early 1500s, the eastern half of this region was predominantly inhabited by individuals who spoke various dialects of Cholti and were closely related to the Apay (Chorti) group. However, by the end of the colonial period (1524–1821), only a handful of Chorti speakers remained. From 2003 to 2018, Metz collaborated with Indigenous leaders to conduct a historical and ethnographic survey of Chorti Maya identity in what was once the eastern side of the Classic period lowland Maya region and the colonial period Chorti-speaking region of eastern Guatemala, western Honduras, and northwestern El Salvador. Currently, only 15,000 Chorti speakers remain, primarily concentrated in two municipalities in eastern Guatemala. Nevertheless, since the 1990s, nearly 100,000 impoverished farmers have identified as Chorti in thirteen Guatemalan and Honduran municipalities, with indications of Indigenous revitalization in several Salvadoran municipalities as well. Indigenous movements have played a significant role in raising the ethnic consciousness of many non-Chorti-speaking semi-subsistence farmers, or campesinos. The inhabitants of these regions employ diverse measures to assess their identity, drawing upon language, history, traditions, rurality, "blood," lineage, discrimination, and other factors.

Where Did the Eastern Mayas Go? approaches Indigenous identity as being rooted in historical processes, contemporary politics, and cultural practices. It highlights the complexities and challenges faced by Chorti Maya individuals in their quest to assert their identity and reclaim their cultural heritage. The book offers valuable insights into the experiences of Indigenous communities and their struggles for recognition and self-determination.

Weight: 674g
Dimension: 235 x 158 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781646422616