Rituals and Gambling in the Sierra Mazateca, Oaxaca with Marcos García de Teresa (In Spanish)
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Abstract
This talk analyzes two economic and ritual practices in the Sierra Mazateca: gambling
during patron saint festivals and the sale of psilocybin mushroom ceremonies to tourists.
Although these activities belong to different spheres—one public and competitive,
predominantly male and mestizo; the other intimate and spiritual, indigenous and feminized—both
involve the management of uncertainty and the social evaluation of participants. In
these practices, luck and reputation are put to the test. At the same time, they are
morally and legally ambiguous transactions that are sustained by their intertwining
with ritual, festive, and religious life.
About the speaker
Marcos García de Teresa holds a Ph.D. in social anthropology from EHESS and UAM–Iztapalapa.
His research focuses on household management, gambling, illicit trade, and the commodification
of indigenous rituals. He is currently working on a postdoctoral project on the early
professionalization of anthropology between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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