Abstract

CASTILLO FIGUEROA, Giovanny. The Presence of Central Americans on the Coast of Chiapas: Three Ethnographic Vignettes on Fishing and Migration. Rev. pueblos front. digit. [online]. 2023, vol.18, e664.  Epub June 30, 2023. ISSN 1870-4115.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cimsur.18704115e.2023.v18.664.

This paper aims to describe and analyze the contribution that Central Americans have made to small-scale fishing along the coast of Chiapas. Methodologically, an ethnographic approach was adopted highlighting the voices of local stakeholders and draws on empirical data obtained through observations and on-site interviews. It first provides an overview of the relationship between migration and fishing in the study area. It then proceeds to develop three scenarios representing different mobility trajectories and work experiences in the fishing sector: 1) inhabitants from villages along the coast of Guatemala who fish for short periods in Mexican waters and then return to their places of origin; 2) migrants in transit who find indefinite employment unloading, storing, and selling fish while they pull together enough resources to continue their journey; and 3) migrants who have decided to settle permanently in Mexican coastal villages and engage in various tasks of the fishing process, from making and repairing fishing nets to catching and processing fish. Finally, the paper emphasizes the heterogeneity of migratory-labor processes and the relevance of the presence of Central Americans.

Keywords : human mobility; labor trajectories; small-scale fishing; southern border of Mexico.

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