Territoriality and Coexistence of the Tz’utujil People of Santa María Visitación, Guatemala

Abstract

Heterogeneous cultures, which coexist in common spaces, generate social conflict. It is necessary to investigate from a deeper knowledge of the contextual reality, which are the mechanisms that allow to overcome these conflicts, and provoke processes of coexistence. This research seeks to deepen the analysis of the territorial conflicts of the Tz’utujil people of Santa María Visitación, Guatemala from the conception of land and territory to the creation of the Property Title. The methodology is presented from a qualitative perspective through fieldwork and use of primary sources review, interviews, participant observation, and life stories. The conclusions show a new conception of territoriality through a way of thinking that encompasses a different spatial interpretation that favors the processes of identity construction and conflict resolution through intercultural coexistence strategies.