Patrimonio biocultural sobre las abejas sin aguijón en Huehuetlan El Grande, Puebla, México: status y perspectivas

Linda Marín; Luis Rivera Marín; Lazaro Arroyo Rodríguez; Ramón Mariaca Méndez

doi:10.51438/etnobiolv3n3a3

BIOCULTURAL HERIT AGE ABOUT STINGLESS BEES IN HUEHUETLAN EL GRANDE, PUEBLA, MEXICO: ST ATUS AND PERSPECTIVES

Authors

Linda Marín El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad San Cristóbal, Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente, México Anima Mundi. Investigación y Acción Biocultural A.C.
Luis Rivera Marín ECOCREANDO, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México
Lazaro Arroyo Rodríguez El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad San Cristóbal, Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente, México https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8987-5031
Ramón Mariaca Méndez El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Unidad San Cristóbal. Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7562-0018

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51438/etnobiolv3n3a3

Keywords:

Mixteca Poblana, Meliponinos, youth, persistence, local ecological knowledge, Mixteca Poblana, Meliponinos, yuuth, persistence, local ecological knowledge

Abstract

Mexico has a rich biocultural heritage centered around stingless bees, largely due to the medicinal properties of their honey. At the same time, the people who create and guard this heritage face serious social and environmental threats. The Mixteca Poblana region is located south of Puebla and presents great biological and cultural diversity; however, it faces strong socio-environmental pressures. The objective of this work is to document the biocultural heritage and local ecological knowledge surrounding stingless bees in the Huehuetlan El Grande region of the Mixteca Poblana region. From 2017 to 2024, we conducted field sampling, interviews, and workshops in the municipality of Huehuetlan El Grande to explore the biocultural heritage and ecological knowledge surrounding stingless bees. The results show that 1) there are 5 species of stingless bees in the region, 2) local people possess a rich biocultural heritage and ecological knowledge surrounding stingless bees and their honey, 3) there is no sustainable management of stingless bee hives, 4) ecological knowledge and biocultural heritage are being lost, 5) most young people are unaware of stingless bees. This deterioration of biocultural heritage is compounded by the pressing socio-environmental problems in the region, such as mining, the excessive use of pesticides, and the uncontrolled growth of unplanned tourism. A comprehensive approach is required that allows for the joint action of villagers, local authorities, and school teachers.

Author Biographies

Luis Rivera Marín, ECOCREANDO, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México

I am from Puebla city, I have a deep interest in community water management, biocultural heritage, socioenvironmental analysis, and Indigenous normative systems. My current line of research is community governance of water resources in the indigenous communities of the mountain Malintzi. I studied a Bachelor's degree in Social Anthropology at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) from 1999 to 2003. I have given workshops and lectures at higher, secondary, and elementary educational institutions, as well as in the agricultural sector.

Ramón Mariaca Méndez, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Unidad San Cristóbal. Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad y Ambiente

He holds a Master of Science in Botany with an ethnobotanical focus and a PhD in Social Anthropology. He is a member of the National System of Researchers, level 2. He is a Senior Researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. He has served as President of the Mexican Association of Ethnobiology, the Mexican Society of Agroecology, and the Latin American Society of Ethnobiology, of which he is a founder. He has served as Coordinator of the San Cristóbal Unit of Ecosur, and as Director General of Statistics and Environmental Information within the Federal Semarnat (National Semarnat), forming the General Directorate of Agroecology and Biocultural Heritage. He is a founding member of the Biocultural Heritage Network, funded by Conacyt (National Council for the Study of Biocultural Heritage), and as a visiting professor of the Doctoral Program in Ethnobiology and Biocultural Studies at the University of Cauca, Colombia. He has also served as a visiting professor at the Peninsular Center for Humanities and Social Sciences of the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), the Intercultural University of Tabasco, and the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. He is currently a permanent member of the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation in Food Sovereignty of CONAHCYT, Member of the External Evaluation Committee of CIATEJ and INECOL, Member of the Board of Directors of the Intercultural University of Chiapas and Member of the Institutional Development Council of the Intercultural Mayan University of Quintana Roo