ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCHES
IN ITALY AND MEXICO
by Franco Pelliccioni, Italian Geographical Society, Rome
During the month of April 1978 I carried out a community research in the small village of Santa Maria del Mar (Huave Indians, Tehuantepec District, Oaxaca, Mexico), thanks to a grant from the Italian Education Office, University Department.
The village (530 inhabitants) is located at nearly 9 kms, as the crow flies, on the east of the other Huave village of San Mateo and at nearly 35 kms from the Zapotec township of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, on a strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Laguna Inferior, where its maximum width doesn't exceed 3 kilometres. Of course I was the only "white" in the settlement...
My thanks to my research-assistant-interpreter: the indian Hilario Lopez, a considered and authentic "frontier-man", who was able to find a right balance between the aspects of modern and traditional worlds.
I thank, at last, my Americanist friends: Dr. Gerardo Bamonte, Dr. Lidia Marzotto, Prof. Gilberto Mazzoleni, of Rome UNIVERSITY. My descent on the Mesoamerican field is due to their precious suggestions.
A short rest while helping in re-building an Indian House (the former burnt down), Santa Maria del Mar, 1978
Going back to México City at the end of the field work, it is a "must" stopping en route in Monte Alban (Oaxaca), 1978
The Mountain Community of Turano, Rieti, Italy
D
uring the summer months of a five-year period: 1984/89, I carried out a cycle of field surveys (development, urban anthropology, historical anthropology) in the territory of the Mountain Community of Turano (Alta Sabina, Rieti), Central Italy.In April 1989 I planned the following projects: a) for the President and the Council of the Mountain Community of Turano (VII Zone, Rieti): "Una ricerca socio-antropologica "partecipata "applicata ad un progetto di sviluppo integrato della Comunità Montana del Turano: ipotesi, proposte ed eventuali future implicazioni operative ai fini di un concreto miglioramento della "qualità della vita" (sviluppo) degli abitanti della comunità. This was approved, previous unanimous vote, with resolution of the 26th June 1989, by the Mountain Community Council. The Council also asked for the financing of the project, as 1990 Project, to the Cultural Assessorship of Latium Region; b) for the Mayor and the Council of the Town of Ascrea (Rieti):"Ascrea e la Valle del Turano: analisi socio-economica e culturale di un borgo montano dell'alta Sabina".
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2002 "Gli indios Huave: un' "enclave" etnico-culturale sulle sponde dell'Oceano Pacifico", L'Osservatore Romano, 14 aprile 2002, 3.
1988 "L’antropologia culturale e storica come riscoperta dell’Italia "minore": il caso della Valle del Turano", Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana (BSGI ), XI, V, 7-9, 459- 463
(CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AS A NEW RECONNAISSANCE OF A "MINOR" ITALY: THE CASE OF THE TURANO VALLEY: In this review article the author analyzes the socio-cultural and historical contents of two books concerning the territory of the Turano Valley, Central Italy. Starting from his own experiences and works that he is carrying on in the fields of urban and historical anthropology in this fringe area of the Apennine, he properly underlines that particular aspect which represents the main focus of both books: the Turano rural culture through the centuries. These books are able, indeed, to give a wide and complete cultural and historical frame in which the inhabitants of the valley can easily recognize themselves).
1988. " Il dilemma linguistico in un esempio mesoamericano", Rinnovarsi, January, 13-15.
1979 " Lo spazio sociale tra gli indios Huave di Santa Maria del Mar: un approccio storico- culturale", BSGI, 10, 12, 665-676
(THE SOCIAL SPACE AMONG THE HUAVE INDIANS OF SANTA MARIA DEL MAR: A CULTURAL HISTORICAL APPROACH: The results from the first part of an anthropological survey the Author carried out in 1978 in the Mexican village of Santa Maria del Mar inhabited by Indians belonging to the Huave group are outlined in this work. At first the purpose of this survey was to determine the idea of social space existing among them and in particular the Author intended to find out the possible relationships between the social structure of the village and the one of the cemetery, i.e. between the communities of the living and the dead. The verification of the lack of a strong space structure on the contrary offers the outer observer the image of an Indian community that appears to be socially homogeneous and strongly cohesive thus differentiating remarkably from the one of the near Huave village of San Mateo)
1979 "Il cambiamento culturale tra gli indios lagunari di Santa Maria del Mar (Oaxaca, Messico): alcune osservazioni", Rivista di Etnologia Antropologia Culturale, VII, 94-103
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The Maps
Mexico:
OaxacaItaly
: http://www.incoming.it/lazio.htmLINKS
Mexico : /
Mexico Federal District (Mexico City) / Universidad Autonoma de México / Mexico in Net / Oaxaca Info / Infosel Oaxaca / Monte Alban / Oaxaca, Music Real Audio / Tehuantepec / Woman of Tehuantepec / Yucatan Government / Mérida / Mérida Weather / Popocatepetl live camera / Maya World / Palenque Photos/ Maya-Aztec-Inca Center /Italy:
/ Latium / Ascrea / Castel di Tora / Colle di Tora / Collalto / Collegiove / Turania / An Iconographic Tour in Sabina / Search: Italian Cities / Rome Weather / Italy Weather / Travel Italy / Radio Dimensione Suono Real Audio / Radio Deejay live / Europe Weather Meteosat / Travel Net LatiumTO GO TO FRANCO PELLICCIONI MAIN PAGE:
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UPDATED 2, 7, 2006