Abstract

CASTANEDA-GUERRERO, I. et al. Traditional knowledge and composition of Totonac homegardens of Caxhuacan, Puebla, Mexico. Polibotánica [online]. 2020, n.49, pp.185-217.  Epub June 20, 2020. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.49.13.

Abstract:

This research focused on the composition of homegardens in a Totonac community of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, as well as traditional ecological knowledge to analyze the current use and management of useful species and their biodiversity. The use and management of useful species and their biodiversity were established through interviews with homegarden owners and subsequently with key informants. We use methodologies of ethnoecology, ethnobotany, and ecology. Flora and fauna present in the orchards of the sample were identified and recorded spatially and mapped using GIS. The average size of the homegarden was 447 m2. The floristic composition of Totonac homegardens is very diverse, 361 plant species were registered, of which 357 species belonging to 263 botanical genera and 102 botanical families were identified. Cultural practices of homegarden management in the Totonac community analyzed showed that small-sized orchards have a complex and diverse physiognomy. These are agroecosystems with relative self-sufficiency, in which ecological interactions are associated with the use and cultural management of species. They constitute an essential ethnobiological reservoir, allow the continuity of traditional ecological knowledge about the management and use of species, and are a constant source of primary products for subsistence.

Keywords : Homegardens; Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Ethnoecology; Food Self-Sufficiency; Sierra Norte de Puebla.

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