Into the Hearts of the Amazons : In Search of a Modern Matriarchy / Tom DeMott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

DeMott, Tom.

Series:

ACLS Humanities E-Book.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Matriarchy--Mexico--Juchitán de Zaragoza.

Matriarchy.

Zapotec Indians--Mexico--Juchitán de Zaragoza--Social life and customs.

Zapotec Indians.

Zapotec women--Mexico--Juchitán de Zaragoza--Social conditions.

Zapotec women.

Zapotec women--Mexico--Juchitán de Zaragoza--History.

Juchitán de Zaragoza (Mexico)--Social life and customs.

Juchitán de Zaragoza (Mexico).

Juchitán de Zaragoza (Mexico)--History.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 268 p. ) map ;

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press/Terrace Books, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Into the Hearts of the Amazons is part rousing travel adventure through a little-known world and part popular ethnography, exploring how Zapotec women earned their legendary status in a remote corner of southern Mexico. To satisfy his curiosity about this culture, Tom DeMott journeyed to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where he discovered a thriving modern-day matriarchy among the people of the Isthmus--a cultural crossroads, breeding ground for rebels, and home to a half-million Zapotecs. DeMott integrated himself into the culture by joining in the rites of spring (where women pelt the men with fruit); by interviewing the women who control the marketplace where men are rarely seen; and by honoring the saints with drink and dance at all-night ceremonies. Evoking these singular women and their culture, DeMott tackles a primal question: What would life be like if women, rather than men, had the advantage? "For centuries the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, like a magnet, has attracted travelers, adventurers, scholars, romantics, and rebels. Something about Oaxaca and the Zapotec culture appeals to the curious and restless. DeMott's fine memoir captures the spirit of this quest. It will be of interest to anthropologists and general readers alike."--Howard Campbell, author of Zapotec Struggles "Driven by an unquenchable personal passion for his subject, Tom DeMott has produced an exceptional narrative that deconstructs the clich#65533;s of a Mexican region and a people shrouded in romance and myth. Acutely observed, richly experienced, Into the Hearts of the Amazons exposes issues of matriarchy and culture through intimate, often bizarre, and surreal yet indelibly moving close encounters with the people of Juchit#65533;n and Tehuantepec."--Tony Cohan, author of On Mexican Time and Mexican Days

Contents:

The blue mortuary

The politician

Honoring San Vicente

The apologist

Lavada

The Russian

Quintessential isthmus women

The kid

Vela Zandunga

The spy

The other city hall

The princess

Purse strings

The blaseña

Tirada de frutas

The radical

Day of the dead

The Italian

Bloqueo

The journalist

Marketplace Tehuantepec

The filmmaker

Inventing Santa Ines

The grad student

Green mangos

The investigator

The general's daughter.

Notes:

"Terrace Books."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-262) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-299-21643-8

1-282-27009-5

9786612270093

OCLC:

607823963

Publisher Number:

2027/heb08758 hdl