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Contemporary Maya-Spanish Bilingual Literature and Cultural Production from the Yucatan Peninsula

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Contemporary Maya-Spanish Bilingual Literature and Cultural Production from the Yucatan Peninsula “Tu táan yich in kaajal” [On The Face of My People]: Contemporary Maya-Spanish Bilingual Literature and Cultural Production from the Yucatan Peninsula Alicia Marie Salinas Archbold, Ohio Master of Arts, University of Virginia, 2013 Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2009 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese University of Virginia May 2018 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Salinas 3 Acknowledgements This dissertation is the culmination of years of effort and the support of many dear people. I never expected to speak Spanish, let alone Maya. Gaining such competencies and completing this research often pushed me well beyond my comfort zone and involved sacrifice by my family. Yet this project has provided me with some of the most enriching experiences and lessons of my life. I would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to this scholarship, along with my personal and academic growth. My dissertation committee has provided invaluable feedback and guidance. Studying translation with my advisor, Gustavo Pellón, and learning from his own methods as a literary translator has informed my conception of this entire dissertation and the bilingual works I study. His advice for tackling a years-long project and his unwavering belief in my abilities were essential to finishing this project and fine-tuning my thinking. Committee member Allison Bigelow has been an enthusiastic supporter of my research from the moment she arrived to the University of Virginia. She was instrumental in the continuation of my Maya studies and helped facilitate some connections in Yucatan from her own studies there. Her detailed feedback and linguistic and cultural knowledge greatly strengthened this project. Ricardo Padrón’s enthusiasm for my research at presentations throughout my graduate studies have greatly encouraged me as an academic, and his own articulate presentation of his work has been an important model for me. Eve Danziger’s anthropology course on the pre-Hispanic Maya civilization has been essential for my understanding of contemporary Mayan languages and peoples. Her support, brainstorming on how to frame the overall project, and invitations to anthropology department events related to Mayan cultures have helped me arrive to this point. Finally, from my first forays into Maya language study at the Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology (OSEA) in Pisté, Yucatan, Quetzil Castañeda has been an essential guide for how to critically interrogate Salinas 4 the countless studies written about the Maya. His invaluable feedback forced me to question my own assumptions and strengthen my critical voice. I am indebted to multiple Maya language instructors, through whom my bilingual approach to Maya-language literature would not be possible. My first instructor, Edy Dzidz, helped me learn more in one summer than I ever thought possible at OSEA in 2013. The University of North Carolina-Duke Consortium’s Yucatec Maya Summer Institute helped me strengthen that foundation and gain advanced proficiencies in 2015. Instructors Fidencio Briceño Chel, Felipe Castillo Tzec, and Graham Armstrong all contributed invaluably to my ability to read contemporary literature, as did our classroom assistants Leidy Cen, María Jesús Dzul Dzib, and others. Beyond language acquisition, each of these instructors’ insights into the ties between culture and language has been a vital foundation for my work. Studying through two programs immersed me in both community and intellectual perceptions surrounding Maya language and culture. The opportunity to study in a community of anthropologists at OSEA also provided me with a background in that field. Fellowships sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and the University of Virginia supported my research and language study in Yucatan. I feel privileged to have been able to speak with multiple Maya-language writers about their work. I greatly admire each of their work for different reasons. My beginnings as a critic of Maya-language literature began with Wildernain Villegas’ poetry. Edy Dzidz, at the time Villegas’ student at the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQroo), first introduced me to the poet. Villegas met with me on more than one occasion, and has always made time to respond to my questions. Felipe Castillo Tzec and Ismael May May boosted my confidence speaking Maya and contributed to my understanding of current realities that Maya Salinas 5 speakers and authors face. I have never been so nervous to present as when I discussed Ana Patricia Martínez Huchim’s work in her presence at the Carolina Conference on Romance Languages in 2016. Since our meeting, her discussion of literary creation and her illuminating cultural insight has been invaluable for this project. Finally, Sol Ceh Moo’s perspectives on her work and Maya-language literature in general greatly enriched my analyses. Writers’ gifts of copies of their work, time, and knowledge have helped make this project what it is. There are a great many individuals in Yucatan who also added to my knowledge of Maya language and more importantly, offered their unconditional friendship. The community of Pisté deserves special mention for the warm welcome they gave me as a newcomer and returning visitor to their town. Doña Luisa Marrufo adopted me as another daughter and welcomes me into her home whenever I am in Pisté. I will always treasure our conversations, her delicious cooking, and her tireless efforts to care for her family. The laughter, love, and unmeasured generosity I experienced in the larger Marrufo family with Doña Luisa’s eight children (Memo, Miguel, Victoria, Jenny, Rey, Ariel, Javier, and Carlos) and their families cannot be described in words. The many lessons I learned from her children about Maya will never be forgotten. I also owe a great debt to Don Tanis, who patiently listened as I stumbled my way through communicative efforts even from my earliest days ‘speaking’ Maya. His exceptional knowledge of Maya language and the natural world, along with his gentle nature, are among my fondest memories in Yucatan. A visit to his beehives provided a special memory. Finally, the Cetz, Burgos, and Cat families have also extended lasting friendship and generosity. In the US, many colleagues have contributed to my growth as a scholar and to this dissertation. I owe a great scholarly debt to Paul Worley, as I draw frequently from his groundbreaking work in studying a contemporary Yucatec Maya corpus in a bilingual manner. Salinas 6 Upon meeting at a conference in North Carolina, he has consistently supported my academic career and provided orientation in the field of Maya literature. My classmates from the UNC- Duke program are a scholarly community, and especially Ana Ugarte has been an important colleague and friend. Professors Daniel Chávez, Anna Brickhouse, Eli Carter, and Charlotte Rogers have offered feedback on my work and guidance on the dissertation writing process. Michael Gerli and Randolph Pope offered indispensable support as Directors of Graduate Study. My fellow graduate students demonstrated enthusiasm and support, and I feel thankful to work among them. Many thanks to Lauren Reynolds for providing feedback on my presentations and written work, along with a source of friendship that kept me going through these seven years. Melissa Frost, Dan Harrison, Lauren McCoy, Adriana Rojas, Stephanie Gates, and Esther Poveda Moreno have also encouraged me as both a person and scholar, as have many others who are too numerous to name. Last but certainly not least, I could not have written this dissertation without my family’s support. My husband Silvestre Salinas has lovingly supported me through long hours of work and my absence during summer research trips. His evening solo shifts with our son Alexander after his own workday were indispensable for finishing this project. I am grateful to Alexander, who, at sixteen months old upon the completion of this dissertation, sweetened the writing process by providing welcome breaks and his unconditional affection. My mother Evelyn Buckenmeyer’s willingness to assist with childcare and household duties during long stretches were vital for the completion of this project. She and my father, Dean Buckenmeyer, have given me unconditional love, encouragement, and advice through the years that has helped me become the person I am today. My brother Dustin and his family, and my brother Eric have also been unwavering supporters of my endeavors through the years. Finally, I thank Laura Julngo López Salinas 7 for her wonderful care of Alexander after I returned to work, along with Bekah Coble and Tommy Antorino for their enthusiastic care of Alexander as well. Salinas 8 Table of Contents Chapter 1. Contemporary Maya-Language Literature ........................................................................ 11 The Stakes of Studying Contemporary Indigenous Literatures in Latin American Literary Studies ..... 17 The Ambiguous Term “Maya” ............................................................................................................... 19 A Note on maayat’aan and Orthography ...............................................................................................
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