The Reasons of Myth and Turism. Contrasting Traditions and Performativities in the Chinantec Town of Rancho Grande, Valle Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

This article compares two expressions of collective identity observed in the Chinantec town of Rancho Grande, Valle Nacional municipality, Oaxaca. Mexico. In the first case, we explore a myth of oral tradition known as the ‘tale of the sun and the moon’. In the second, tourist activities are analyzed since ethnographic data demonstrate how the inhabitants show visitors representative elements of their culture. This study concludes that, first, myth narrates aspects of identity that have been traditionally been transmitted systematically, such as the landscape, clothing, food culture, among others. Second, it concludes that an economic motive is behind the expressive dimension of culture. In this way, it is shown that the myth as a story can serve as a starting point to critically analyze the impact of tourist activities on the traditions of the original peoples, from which the myth itself is not exempt.