Luis Roberto Canto Valdes He has a degree in Anthropological Sciences from the Autonomous University of Yucatán, a teacher and a Ph.D. in History from the Center for Research in Studies of Social Anthropology (ciesas) Peninsular. Full-time professor and researcher at the Intercultural University of the State of Puebla. Topics of specialization: criminality, alternative medicine, native peoples, and health anthropology.

Realidades socioculturales

Gender roles in Totonac culture within coffee production. The case of Zongozotla

  •  Maritel Yanes Perez
  • Luis Roberto Canto Valdes

Keywords: coffee, worldview, gender, native peoples, Totonacs.

In this study we analyze the gender roles assumed by some men and women of Totonac origin who are dedicated to the cultivation of coffee in the municipality of Zongozotla, in the Sierra Norte of the state of Puebla, to see what traditional practices are still observed and evidence those values and beliefs that have been modernized. We used the participant observation technique, we conducted fifteen interviews with Totonaco-speaking women accompanied by their husbands. We interpret our results from a gender perspective, but respecting the indigenous worldview of the interviewees. We find traditional patterns of behavior and some elements that force us to rethink gender from the perspective of original people.