Award Date

1-1-1996

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Anthropology

First Committee Member

John J. Swetnam

Number of Pages

80

Abstract

This paper explores the linkages between Mayan religious beliefs as presented in, The Popol Vuh and The Book of Chilam Balam, myth, and modern ethnographic material for clues to Mayan economic behavior. It presents the argument that the "closed corporate system" and the reliance on the municipio as the focus of identity is a function of World-view, and that Mayans see land as a symbol of self and community. The ensuing economic behavior and the strong attachment to "milpa production" is more than an adaptive strategy to the vicissitudes of economic insecurity, but a route to maintaining balance and harmony in their cognitive universe.

Keywords

Land; Mayan; Self; Universe

Controlled Subject

Ethnology; Economic history; Religious history

File Format

pdf

File Size

1740.8 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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