Oral Histories Project

In Chicxulub Puerto, a small fishing village in Yucatán, Mexico and Proyecto Itzaes’ first site, a cultural preservation project involving students and their elders began in 1999. Students taped their grandparents, aunts and uncles about local traditions and stories. Many of the interviews are in both Spanish and in Maya, and have created a rich beginning for a growing collection of ethnic and culture stories. Some of the interviews describe legends of Aluxes and other forest dwelling spirits. In another an elder relays stories handed down for generations about coastal pirates. Others describe the old traditions of fishing and salt gathering. These interviews, transcribed and archived digitally along with scans of old photographs and other historical materials document and preserve local culture.*

In recent years, children and families in Proyecto Itzaes’ six other villages have also begun to record and archive oral histories. The goal of the oral histories project is twofold: for the young people of Yucatán to learn more about their own family and village history and to preserve Maya cultural heritage.

 The cultural preservation project involves the entire community. Young students, guided by a library specialist and archivist, interview the town’s elders. Using a digital tape recorder and camera, the students (primary and middle school age) ask a series of basic questions of grandparents, aunts and uncles, recording invaluable information about the town’s traditions, customs, myths and legends.

The children have also started to preserve old photographs by scanning them and saving copies of the images to compact discs.  PI students and volunteers are slowly transcribing the stories and using Adobe Photoshop to edit and save the photos they have taken. Completed stories with both the text and photo files are saved to compact discs and families each receive copies as well.

Help us fund our cultural preservation project

Proyecto Itzaes needs funds to expand this invaluable cultural history and to create a website of the stories, local legends and photos, in order to share Maya culture and history as a primary source. Funds are needed for essential technology, computers, scanners, cameras, digital recorders as well as funding for archiving and oral history workshops provided by a library/archive specialist.

Please help. Every donation makes a difference!

*Proyecto Itzaes in Chicxulub Puerto is now an independent, community sustained program led and funded by the people of Chicxulub Puerto.