Guendaliza´a and peasant markets as places of communal praxis in the Isthmus ofTehuantepec, Oaxaca

Abstract

The particular dimension of the space inhabited by the people of San Blas Atempa is also a history of places, as primordial references of love for a land, which are understood in their filial character, that of cohabiting a common home. This sense of filiation is woven by the reference of everyday life that translates into practices, tastes, enjoyments, smells, flavors, and textures, all the senses whose meanings are impregnated in affective environments that people build over time. This paper addresses the dynamics of places as symbolic and material references that delimit the historical constructions of the communality of the Binnizá1 people, in a scenario where intensive processes of urbanization and industrialization can be glimpsed through a strategy of integrating the communities into development poles, which is expected to encourage the dismantling of the community fabric. In contrast, we will see how there is an intense activity linked to community, ceremonial and productive life around two constructions on the places: the guendaliza’a and the peasant markets.