Being Indian In Hueyapan Summary

Following the Mexican Revolution, many professionals studying their fields (i.e. anthropology, writers, painters, etc) were allowed to trace the roots of the different cultures of Mexico, including the Indian culture although this remains well hidden except for the tiny village of Hueyapan. However, the question remains: Should anthropologists and others alike focus their research closer to home? I will explore this topic through the use of the book Being Indian In Hueyapan: A Revised And Updated Edition, written by Judith Friedlander. Friedlander is an interesting character by beginning the book with a description of Dona Zeferina’s family and how they lived. While you may expect Indians living in Mexico to be living in a slump, this is actually

Before the Spaniards arrived in Hueyapan, life for the Indians was quiet and peaceful. Being subsistence farmers, they grew enough food to support themselves and their families while also not having to work for the crown of Spain for low wages. They considered their soil their native homeland up until the Spaniards arrived in which land disputes continued until the Mexican Revolution of the 1900s. This brings us to the second point of interest that we need to take a look at in order to answer the question: What does it mean to be Indian in Hueyapan? “After confiscating properties from the huge haciendas, the federal government gave the land back to impoverished communities” (Friedlander 59). This was the starting point for the rise in native Indian communities such as Hueyapan finally being recognized as significant in Mexican culture. The rise in recognition also brought along with it several adaptions that Indian families adopted, including: chemical fertilizers for growing cash crops, dynamite to build a dirt road, a market, corn mills, and recently running water. These adaptions in addition to keeping their native way of life is the key to understanding what being Indian in Hueyapan means although much controversy still exists on whether or not the Indians still remain in cultural isolation and have kept their original way of