Ruins, Caves, Gods, and Incense Burners: Northern Lacandon, Maya Myths, and Rituals

Abstract

gleaned from archaeological survey and excavations. The recovery of imported artifacts including perfume containers, medicine bottles, and decorated tablewares illustrate that, though geographically isolated, estates had access to international markets. Although archival documents indicate that haciendas operated with resident laborers, the authors’ archaeological investigations did not recover evidence of laborer housing. Gust and Mathews’ work highlights how social relations, mediated through material culture, make certain people in the past (and present) more visible than others. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize the ways control over alcohol has shaped social and economic opportunities for people across Yucatecan society. While rum played an important role in the ceremonial lives of Maya laborers and frequently served as a source of relief from the demands of hacienda life, hacendados used the control over the distribution and price of rum as one mechanism for perpetuating worker debt. Cantinas that emerged in Yucatán’s cities in the nineteenth century offered women an opportunity for financial independence while subjecting them to alcohol-fueled harassment and abuse. Gust and Mathews conclude by drawing connections between Yucatán’s history of sugar and rum production and the peninsula’s current orientation towards tourism. The authors argue that while the peninsula’s economy has shifted from the production of rum to the production of tourist experiences, the tourism industry continues to profit from and perpetuate exploitative social relations tied to Yucatán’s rum-soaked past. Although the focus of production has changed, Maya laborers in Cancun and Merida, visible or not, continue to play a central role in Yucatán’s economy. Sugarcane and Rum offers important insights into the ways sugar and rum have shaped social relations throughout Yucatán’s history. Gust and Mathews also contribute to the growing body of literature focused on the historical archaeology of the Yucatán Peninsula. Free of jargon and rich in content, this book is a good resource for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the history and archaeology of the Yucatán Peninsula and/or histories of labor.