Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town

Contents......Page 8
1 Beginnings: stability and change......Page 14
Chona did not go to school, but her sister did......Page 16
A combination of destiny and development......Page 19
San Pedro did not go to school, but now it does......Page 20
2 Living culture, across generations......Page 25
The ”box problem”......Page 26
Focusing on cultural practices......Page 28
Changes in constellations of cultural practices in the United States......Page 31
Spreading cultural constellations......Page 33
Changes in constellations of related cultural practices in San Pedro......Page 34
Participating in communities......Page 42
3 Meeting Chona and San Pedro......Page 48
The paths of generations......Page 50
Greetings in a new tongue......Page 55
Becoming familiar with Chona and her life......Page 59
A daughter sits on the floor......Page 60
Weaving a family story......Page 68
Preserving a record of a sacred practice......Page 73
Communicating across time and place......Page 78
Writing notes......Page 80
5 Born to a spiritual calling, across generations: cultural heritage and resistance......Page 86
Vitality of spiritual threads......Page 87
Chona’s mother’s heritage and resistance......Page 93
Mayan and Ladino practices and relations......Page 95
Combined ancestry in San Pedro......Page 100
Risks: Chona’s father’s warning......Page 102
Resisting a risky destiny......Page 109
Accepting spiritual persuasion and instruction......Page 114
6 Childhood and where babies come from......Page 117
Taboo topics for children and youth......Page 118
Where do babies come from?......Page 119
Avoiding reference to pregnancy and birth with children......Page 120
Avoiding reference to pregnancy and birth with young adults......Page 121
Sexual intercourse......Page 125
Chona grows into her role......Page 129
7 A becoming young woman......Page 135
An unsuitable suitor......Page 137
Courtship......Page 139
Plans to marry......Page 141
Chona did not choose her husband......Page 142
Bearing children and sorrow......Page 146
A long history of loss......Page 148
The sorrow is still fresh......Page 150
8 Changing memories in changing practices......Page 153
Translation issues?......Page 154
Confusion of ages?......Page 155
Difflculties in remembering the distant past?......Page 156
Adjusting the account according to who is listening?......Page 157
The meaning of being an iyoom has changed......Page 159
The first births......Page 164
Harrowing events and convincing supernatural visits......Page 167
An iyoom of renown......Page 170
10 Ripples across generations and nations in Mayan pregnancy and childbirth......Page 174
Longevity of the goddess of midwives, childbirth, water, and the moon......Page 175
Conception......Page 177
Requesting an iyoom’s services for pregnancy......Page 182
Protecting pregnancy......Page 186
The iyoom’s work during pregnancy......Page 189
Birthing......Page 196
Chona’s own births, as learning experiences......Page 201
A San Pedro birth connecting with pre-Hispanic Aztec practices......Page 206
Spiritual aid during the delivery—Catholic and ancient Mayan......Page 209
Reading signs of the future......Page 212
The responsibility to unveil special destinies......Page 216
Care of the newborn, the placenta, and the umbilical cord......Page 221
Care of mother and newborn during the lying-in period......Page 225
Ajtuuj: One who uses the sweat bath......Page 226
Medical and spiritual attention to the newborn......Page 229
Purification and protection ceremony to conclude the lying-in period......Page 232
Safeguarding the baby’s muxu’x and the baby’s future......Page 237
Concluding the lying-in ceremony......Page 240
Continuing care after the lying-in period......Page 242
12 Ways of learning across times and places......Page 247
Didactic medical instruction or collaborative discussion......Page 248
Learning through destinies shared across generations......Page 255
Learning through observing, listening in, and contributing......Page 259
Opportunities to learn by observing and listening in......Page 260
Learning by pitching in......Page 264
Keen attention to ongoing events and initiative in learning......Page 268
Narratives and explanations in the course of action......Page 276
Learning via dreams......Page 280
Learning through simulations in play......Page 287
13 Traditions and transformations......Page 291
Destinies and developments in the course of individual lives......Page 292
Individuals contributing to transformations of cultural practices......Page 294
Developments and destinies of communities......Page 297
Interesting Notes......Page 304
Acknowledgments......Page 322
References......Page 324
Quotation credits......Page 334
A......Page 336
C......Page 337
D......Page 338
E......Page 342
H......Page 343
I......Page 344
L......Page 345
M......Page 346
O......Page 347
P......Page 348
Q......Page 349
S......Page 350
T......Page 352
W......Page 353
Y......Page 354