Presencia tojolabal en las fiestas patronales de Comitán, Chiapas, México / The presence of the tojolobales in the patron saints festivals of Comitán, Chiapas, Mexico

This article centres on the participation of the Mayan-tojolabal population in the patron saints festivals and pilgrimages of the city of Comitán, Chiapas, and neighboring settlements. The objective is to gain knowledge about the historical and cultural contributions of this population to the city and the region. Participant observation, including conversations, spontaneous and directed interviews with key actors, visits to homes and accompaniment in various peregrinations, formed part of an ethnographic memory project, and permitted the identification of a variety of implied symbols. The realization of these religious activities is indicative of a desire for the constant construction of a communal sense of sacrality, of relations with nature and with memory as key elements in the way of life of the tojolabales, and of their presence in the urban space.Este artículo aborda la participación del pueblo maya tojolabal en fiestas patronales y romerías de la ciudad de Comitán, Chiapas y poblados circunvecinos. Su objetivo es conocer las aportaciones socio-históricas y culturales de esta población a la ciudad y la región. La observación participante incluyendo conversaciones, entrevistas espontáneas y dirigidas a actores claves, visitas a hogares y acompañamiento en las caminadas, como parte de un proyecto memorístico y etnográfico, permitieron identificar la variedad de símbolos implicados. La realización de estas actividades pone de manifiesto el deseo de una construcción constante del sentido comunal, de sacralidad, de relación con la naturaleza y de la memoria como elementos clave en el modo de vida de los tojolabales y de su presencia en el espacio urbano.AbstractThis article centres on the participation of the Mayan-tojolabal population in the patron saints festivals and pilgrimages of the city of Comitán, Chiapas, and neighboring settlements. The objective is to gain knowledge about the historical and cultural contributions of this population to the city and the region. Participant observation, including conversations, spontaneous and directed interviews with key actors, visits to homes and accompaniment in various peregrinations, formed part of an ethnographic memory project, and permitted the identification of a variety of implied symbols. The realization of these religious activities is indicative of a desire for the constant construction of a communal sense of sacrality, of relations with nature and with memory as key elements in the way of life of the tojolabales, and of their presence in the urban space