Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Orginal Publication Date
1987
Journal Title
Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Volume
7
Issue
ess/vol7/iss1
First Page
39
Last Page
41
Abstract
"This jungle filled me with a sense of wonder that has never left me. It has cast a spell over me, and I always return to it ... I have seen all this perish. It started almost imperceptibly." Gertrude Blom, a political activist and refugee from Europe, arrived in Mexico in the 1940s. In 1943 while working as a journalist she joined an expedition sent to observe the Lacandon Maya in the dense rainforests of Chiapas bordering Guatemala. She encountered these people at the pivotal point when they were still self-sufficient and worshipping Mayan gods but beginning to feel the impact of the "camesinos" settlements on the edge of their jungle.
Rights
Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1987