Abstract

ALEJOS GARCIA, José. The foundational principle in the Tzotzil mythology and ritual of San Andrés Larráinzar. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2018, vol.52, pp.139-160. ISSN 0185-2574.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.2018.52.886.

This article examines the mythological narrative of the town’s foundation and its relation to the patronal festival among the Tzotzil people of San Andres Larrainzar, arguing the existence of a foundational principle that includes kinship relations and moral, ethical and economic obligations between the people, the patron saint and the entities who “own” the territory. Therefore, the argument poses the prevalence of a mythological principle of origin that is renewed every year and provides meaning to the town’s ritual practices.

The contribution of this article resides in the analysis of the complex relations between myth and ritual, of the fundamental cultural principles, the chronotopical ambivalences, and the cultural isomorphisms, based mainly on the ethnographical data of San Andres Larrainzar.

Keywords : Tzotzil; Mythology; Ritual; Patronal Festival; San Andres Larrainzar.

        · abstract in Spanish | French     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )