Distant territories, shared cultures

Preservation of culture and local knowledge in the milpa agricultural system

Abstract

Through the intercultural model, we seek to conceive the community from a territorial approach, focusing on the milpa production system, which is based on the Mexican agricultural model that is characterized by having adapted to the environmental conditions of a given place over time. The cultivation of the milpa has a great significance for indigenous communities, being a complex system where social, spiritual, religious, cosmogonic and agricultural elements are articulated, forming a set of values and identity. The objective of this work is to comparatively analyze the traditional milpa in two ethnic groups of Mayan origin, Teenek and Tseltal, to show their sociocultural similarities and differences, within the framework of interculturality, sustainability, and biocultural heritage. For this purpose, qualitative and participatory techniques were used, through interviews, workshops, and interpretative analysis in the two indigenous groups.