UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Toxic Landscapes in Sacred Wixaritari Territory: Chemicals and Food as Environmental Epigenetic Triggers in a Metabolic Epidemic in Mexico Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/81g1m4n4 Author Contreras, Salvador Chava Publication Date 2020 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ Toxic Landscapes in Sacred Wixaritari Territory: Chemicals and Food as Environmental Epigenetic Triggers in a Metabolic Epidemic in Mexico A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Anthropology By Salvador Chava Contreras December 2020 The Dissertation of Salvador Chava Contreras is approved: ______________________________________________ Professor Nancy N. Chen, Chair ______________________________________________ Professor Andrew S. Mathews ______________________________________________ Professor Olga Nájera-Ramírez ___________________________________ Quentin Williams Interim Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies i Copyright © by Salvador Chava Contreras 2020 ii Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................... V ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... VI DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................ VIII INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 THE JOURNEY TO THE WIXARITARI SIERRA: TRAILER RIDE ................................................................. 5 BUILDING RAPPORT IN THE SIERRA ...................................................................................................... 8 INDIGENISMO AND ANTHROPOLOGY IN MEXICO ................................................................................. 13 PROJECT BACKGROUND AND LOCATION ............................................................................................ 23 THE BATTLE OF ATTRITION IS THE BATTLE OF NUTRITION ................................................................ 29 LAYOUT OF THE CHAPTERS ................................................................................................................ 32 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETIC TRIGGERS: EMBODIMENT OF HERBICIDE AND PROCESSED FOODS IN A METABOLIC EPIDEMIC IN MEXICO ........ 37 MATA GATOS (KILLER CATS): EMBODIED HERBICIDE ........................................................................ 37 MARUCHAN DEVILS: EMBODIED PROCESSED FOODS ......................................................................... 39 TOXIC LANDSCAPES: EMBODIED HERBICIDE AND PROCESSED FOODS .............................................. 42 EPIGENETICS ....................................................................................................................................... 45 ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS IN MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY .......................................................... 49 Nutritional Epigenetics ................................................................................................................. 53 Key Issues and Debates in Environmental Epigenetics ................................................................ 54 MY CONTRIBUTION: LIVING WITH TOXICITY AS ONGOING ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION AND BODILY TRAUMA ................................................................................................................................ 56 Mexico’s Biotech Response to Metabolic Disease ....................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER 2: THE WIXARITARI CARGO SYSTEM, HEALERS, AND MEDIATING CONCEPTIONS OF SICKNESS AND HEALING WITH LANDSCAPE PRACTICES ............ 64 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 64 CARGO IN MESOAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY .................................................................................... 65 LITERATURE ON THE WIXARITARI CARGO SYSTEM ........................................................................... 69 THE GARCIA FAMILY AND THEIR CARGOS ......................................................................................... 73 Mara’akame Healers and Singers ................................................................................................. 78 PERSONAL BACKGROUND IN MESOAMERICAN HEALING ................................................................... 79 HEALING LITERATURE IN MESOAMERICA .......................................................................................... 81 THE CLINIC IN NUEVA COLONIA ........................................................................................................ 83 WIXARITARI TERRITORY SACRED GEOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 86 CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 89 CHAPTER 3 LOVE SPELLS AND THE GREEN REVOLUTION ............................................... 91 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 91 THE WIXARITARI SIERRA ECOLOGY ................................................................................................ 101 WIXARITARI AND THE STATE ........................................................................................................... 108 WIXARITARI AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ............................................................................... 109 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, WOMEN, AND FOOD WAYS .................................................................. 110 CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 123 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 125 iii EMBODIED CHEMICALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS .......................................................... 129 MEXICO’S LAW OF GENOMIC SOVEREIGNTY ................................................................................... 133 CARGO AND FIESTAS: MEDIATING AND RESOLVING CONCEPTIONS OF SICKNESS AND HEALING .... 136 PANDEMIC RESPONSE ....................................................................................................................... 138 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................................... 152 MAPS ................................................................................................................................................ 152 1. Mining ............................................................................................................................... 152 2. Indigenous Conflicts ......................................................................................................... 154 3. Photographs ....................................................................................................................... 155 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................................ 161 List of Acronyms and Organizations .......................................................................................... 161 Glossary of Spanish and Wixaritari Terms ................................................................................. 163 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................... 167 iv List of Figures FIGURE 1 TERRITORIAL INVASIONS DENOTED WITH ARROWS AND SHADED AREAS. WIXARITARI CABECERAS ARE IN BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS: TUAPURIE (SANTA CATARINA), THE CABECERA OF INAKUARXITA (NUEVA COLONIA). NOTE HUAJIMIC AT BOOTOM LEFT (OCHOA-GARCIA 2001). .... 2 FIGURE 2 AUGUST 20, 2014, WIXARITARI MARCH IN GUADALAJARA TO OFFICES OF "SEDATU WE WANT A SOLUTION" FOR RESTITUTION OF DISPUTED LANDS. PHOTO BY SERIO MARES, NUEVA COLONIA FACEBOOK PAGE. ............................................................................................................. 3 FIGURE 3 WIXARITARI CABECERAS IN SHADED AREA. MAP BY SUSAN ALTA MARTIN FROM JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHWEST 42:1 (SPRING 2000:44). ...................................................................................... 25 FIGURE 4 THE MAIN SACRED SITES OF THE WIXARITARI TERRITORY: HAUXA MANAKA IN THE STATE OF DURANGO, WIRIKUTA IN SAN LUIS POTOSI, XAPAWIYEMETA IN JALISCO, HARAMARATSIE IN NAYARIT AND THE CENTER, TE'EKATA IN SANTA CATARINA. SOURCE: LIFMAN (2011) AND INEGI (2009). ..........................................................................................................................................