An Ethnographic Study of Afro-Mexicans in Mexico's Gulf Coast

by Hall, Raymond A.; White, George, Jr.

• ISBN13: 9780773449299
• ISBN10: 0773449299
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-12-20
• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr

Summary

"This is one of only a few studies using ethnographic research to document and analyze the self-identification and retention of African culture by Afro-Mexicans in Tamiahua, Veracruz, Mexico. This book is an ethnographic examination of the Town of Tamiahua, Veracruz, Mexico from collected archives and personal interviews with its inhabitants. The contents of this work adds to the current scholarship being produced about the African influence on the cultures of Mexico, specifically in areas that encountered a high volume of African slaves during Mexico's colonial period. The work examines Afromestizo self-identification and some of the prevailing attitudes about race and social status. The oral histories contained herein are from elders who were family and community historians. Finally, the book examines evidence of African retention through food, festival and dance in the communities of Northern Veracruz. This work will appeal to scholars of Latin American Studies, the African Diaspora, History, Cultural Anthropology, Folklore and Sociology."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Dr. Raymon A. Hall is an Assistant Professor in Africana and Black Studies at Central Washington University, USA. He received his PhD. in folklore from the Folklore Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. 1
Foreword	p. 3
Acknowledgements	p. 5
Africans in Tamiahua	p. 7
Let the Archives Speak	p. 15
Black Self-Identity and a Blurred Color Line	p. 37
Rituals Dance and Festivals	p. 61
La Danza de los Negritos	p. 62
La Danza del Papaleto	p. 79
Foodways	p. 91
Summary	p. 115
Bibliography	p. 123
Index	p. 127
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