Ancestral knowledge and women in the transmission of heritage; traditional yoreme mayo cuisine

Abstract

Women occupy a prominent place in the conservation and preservation of the ancestral gastronomy that is part of the original yoreme mayo culture, which allows significant traditions to be kept alive. The place of the study is in the community, 5 de Mayo, El Fuerte, Sinaloa, a place where part of the ethnic group currently lives. The research focuses on the way in which women participate in ancestral culinary knowledge, which reflects sustainable practices, the influence of cooking on social cohesion is analyzed, the importance of sacred rituals and ceremonies is highlighted, where ancestral cooking has a central role: the theme of the used indigenous ingredients and techniques, which have been transmitted orally from generation to generation, become the soul of the festivities and ceremonies. Traditional cuisine is part of the identity and sense of belonging to the ethnic group, in addition to being an important piece in the economy, it contains knowledge and culinary practices, which are considered, according to UNESCO (2001), as intangible cultural heritage. The objective of the study is to identify and recognize how women are represented in traditional ancestral cuisine, as guardians of intangible cultural heritage. The methodology applied is a qualitative approach, based on the ethnographic method, under a grounded theory. The study contributes to the knowledge of indigenous intangible cultural heritage, offers visibility to the ethnic group, documents ancestral knowledge, establishes new lines of research for future work and finally presents the conclusions.