Instituto Nacional Indigenista, Secretaría de Educación Publica
Primer and workbook for Maya
Americas, Mexico
1972
Paper, printed
Werner Hartwig (Ethnologist) acquired the books on a study trip to Mexico between 1975–77
Donated to the museum by Hartwig in 2005
MAm 8921
This book was published for Mayan language courses in 1972. Even before the Spanish Conquista, the Mayan language was comprised of various local dialects. In 2000, several million speakers used these dialects across Central America. At this point, it could not be clarified which particular dialect, if any, is represented in the primer shown here.
Leipzig ethnologists Werner and Vera Hartwig visited Mexico on a study and teaching fellowship in 1975–77. They were particularly interested in cultural change and the socio-economic development of Indigenous communities, as well as the country’s policies on ethnic minorities. The Hartwigs collected these teaching materials to document state-sponsored support for, and the growing cultural self-confidence of Indigenous communities in Mexico.
This interest aligned with the Marxist approach to ethnological research, and especially with the research tradition practiced at Leipzig, focusing on the historical development of class structures in global history as well as social and economic issues in history and ethnology.
Frank Usbeck