As I watch Mexico play soccer (futbal!) against the Netherlands (my maiden name is Vandenbergh), I am sorry to say that my heart is with Mexico. LaVail and I have spent many months of our life living and visiting in Mexico, mainly in the Yucatan Peninsula, and I have a huge place in my heart for the Mexican people, particularly the Mayan people of Yucatan. The people of Yaxkukul accepted us into their community when I was a graduate student in anthropology and LaVail was a new lawyer. LaVail gave up a real job to accompany me on my fieldwork, and that year remains one of the most memorable in my life, a life of many memorable years and experiences.
One of the many valuable lessons in anthropology, one that I strive to instill in my students, is that stereotypes are not only dangerous, but they prevent us from knowing people for their individuality, not for the assumptions we hold about them. Living in a village for a year, learning their language (no one else spoke English) and their customs, we were forced to learn, as infants learn, culture. We learned the polite way to visit a house, eat a meal, interact with others older/younger/different gender. Our assumptions were tested daily. We learned the value of a siesta as we escaped to our hammocks in the mid-day heat and we were surprised at how the village came to life in the evenings, after dinner and baths, when teenage men came to the central plaza to play futball and check out the teenage women, children played tag, and adults discussed their day and the latest gossip about the strange gringos.
We learned how hard people worked in the henequen (sisal) fields to feed their families, and we watched as their lives changed when the henequen economy collapsed. We watched as women left their homes to find jobs in the city and young people ventured beyond the village to finish their educations or find jobs in the tourist industry, traveling to Merida, Cancun and Cozumel. . Both young men and women have earned careers in teaching, nursing, construction, and other professions.
Over the years, I have returned to the village more than ten times, for several weeks or months at a time, documenting these changes. I have watched as the villagers who were teenagers during my first visit have married, had children, and even grandchildren. At the same time, they have watched as our own children grew up. All three of our children have lived in the village with me at least once. I follow families on Facebook, and see both the changes in their lives and the ways in which their traditions are maintained and their values reinforced by close family ties, dense social and religious networks and a closely knit community.
Well, Mexico has lost the futbal match and is out of the World Cup competition. I am sad for this, because the Mexican people deserve any good breaks that they can achieve. Conquered by the Spanish, enslaved, and killed, the Mexicans are a resilient people (please pardon the stereotype). They manage to maintain their spirit despite economic hardship, political disparity, and the corruption of power that permeates their country. Like in many other countries that we disparage or do not understand, it is a mistake to judge the people of Mexico by their leaders or by groups within the country who promote violence. After all, we would not want to be judged by the worst elements in our society.
Viva Mexico!
For my ethnography on the Maya, check out Katun: A Twenty Year Journey with the Maya, Cindy Hull, Wadsworth Publishing, 2004.
Cindy Hull 