Thesis
Variation in cultivation of medicinal plants in Guatemalan Q'eqchi' Maya homegardens
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2017
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100927
Abstract
The rural Q'eqchi' Maya of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, grow and manage informal homegardens alongside field-based horticultural subsistence activities. In these gardens, villagers cultivate 200+ plants that serve many functions such as provisioning of food and medicine. Semistructured "plant walk" interviews with 31 informants ages 19-70, informed on the presence of cultivated medicinal plants and residents' knowledge of their names and uses. This research analyzes garden ethnobotanical data across socio-demographic and acculturation variables to understand factors differentiating local medicinal plant availability and use. Results show a high degree of intra-village variation in cultivation of medicinal plants and significant predictors of medicinal plants in homegardens are distance from the main road (p=0.012) and presence of paid work within the home (p=0.002). Other tentative predictors are discussed. Principal components analysis models the relationship between medicinal plants and the illnesses they treat. Overall, home cultivation of medicinal plants reflects Maya cultural concepts of collectivism (sharing) and site-specific ecological fit. I discuss the uses of eleven of the most commonly cultivated medicinal plants and support and contrast this with available literature on cross-cultural uses and the pharmacological properties of these plants.
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Details
- Title
- Variation in cultivation of medicinal plants in Guatemalan Q'eqchi' Maya homegardens
- Creators
- Amanda Margaret Thiel
- Contributors
- Marsha B. Quinlan (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525128201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis