University of Pittsburgh- Of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationTourism, Tradition, and Acculturation: Weekendismo in a Mexican Village Author(s): Theron A. Nunez, Jr. Source: Ethnology, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jul., 1963), pp. 347-352 Published by: University of Pittsburgh- Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3772866 . Accessed: 06/04/2011 09:32 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. 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In this paper I suggest an additional context for the study of rural-urban contact and acculturation. and one of its forms that results in contact with rural communities may be called. while others. although it is technically of the cabecera of the municipio (county seat) some twenty kilometers 347 . have focused upon the in changed forms of behavior that characterize peasant immigrants urban centers. I suggest that tourism may be studied and understood weekendismo. patterns of countries.. Fishing and animal husbandry occupy a few families. at Berkeley University of California In recent years anthropologists have tended to examine rural-urban acculturation from two points of view. while the host population may be viewed as a "recipient" culture. community. Jalisco. Fallers (1954) and Srinivas (1956). al? profile subjectively and urban class structure though data from studies of urbanization are invaluable. dependent upon the growing of corn and beans for subsistence and upon a few cash in irrigated plots along chilis and tomatoes?planted crops?mainly the lake shore.800 inhabitants live along the shore of a small and picturesque lake 32 kilometers from Guadalajara. the urban tourists of as representing a "donor" may be thought culture. certain special problems of description sis present themselves. have been concerned with the filtering down or diffusion of urban cultural forms to the village level. the village has enjoyed a high degree of political isola? Traditionally under the jurisdiction tion and autonomy. In newly industrializing urban classes. in Spanish. A frequent pattern of leisure use is tourism. patterns Some. Weekendismo in and a Acculturation: Mexican Theron A. Village Nunez. of a weekending. Jr. urban leisure What are some of the consequences class in a Mexican peasant village? Cajititlan. for example. the second largest city of It is primarily an agricultural Mexico. e. is a typical highland Mexico mestizo village. tourist somewhat and impressionistically. within the general framework of acculturation theory.Tourism. The "profile" of urban life presented by tourists to a rural host community is a distorted one and is not clearly understood The anthropologist must draw the by the peasant. nor has there apparently social organization is the The most striking feature of Cajititlan division of the village into two equal and rival barrios. Face-to-face contact with Guadalajaran a new profile of urban life into weekend tourists in Cajititlan brings of the villager. 1530. ever been one. the village. armed. Cajititlan is a male-oriented society. skill in their use as a man of action. public offices are normally nor do they carry much prestige. where most aspects of public life are open only to men and subordinate status. and period tourists invaded of acculturation began. is hereditary. the local government. and membership The establishment be endogamous. beginning ment. interested in land specuIn 1959 two Guadalajara businessmen. a new the revolutionary reforms that followed fighting. then an Indian settle? Spanish conquistadores entered Cajititlan. Social control is a function of the church and public opinion rather than of police or political authority. and one American couple has purchased a lake-front building site. Pri? to extremely where women are relegated form what of the ideal male role in this community mary components or "cult of masculinity. bus service is today available to the Cajititlences. of a road into Cajititlan. and Blood feuds are common." has been called the machismo syndrome the most important symbols of which are the horse. There is no periodic market. the pistol. not sought after. a division that function has no current religious (nor can any be remembered) The barrios tend to and has no basis in class or wealth distinctions. the consciousness The "tourists" are. it profited by the agrarian largely passed the village by. conquest immediate of this second The numerous consequences Cajititlan. and. wealthy middle and upper class Guadalajarans. Neverthe? Daily less. in that acquisition ted a degree of village unity and cooperation. . in 1962 for the annual of Americans visited the community early fiesta.348 ETHNOLOGY An elected village council. and persuaded the state government road and subsequent of the natural beauty of the area exploitation would enhance the state's tourist resources. headed by an unpaid mayor. has a long history of casual contact with the city of Cajititlan to which one traveled by horse or burro or on foot. a number However. purchased tracts of lake-shore They "discovered" prop? that the construction of a erty. of the ejido system of land distribution during the agrarian reforms of the 1920s marked a diminution of overt and violent conflict between and distribution of ejido lands prompthe barrios. the European acculturation of the in March. began to promote the construction lation. conquest have been felt most acutely in the areas of political authority. Guadalajara. and revolution wars of independence The Mexican Cajititl6nces. most previous contact with this urban center has been confined to slum and market areas. most adult males own pistols and many appear in public traditionally. As with much of the state of Jalisco. forms away. in the main. and values. economies. social organization. although In 1960. along were ready for occupancy of the road. for his part. for one of the initial promotors of the road had constructed seven motel units. upon the completion Most tourists drive to Cajititlan on a Saturday or Sunday morning to spend the day picnicking. tween the urban tourist and his village hosts is primarily economic. He has continued resource. although these facilities are confined to their own use. and build houses is now called village where the tourists congregate Barrio Americano. of the urban and peasant Such is the discontinuity ways of life. These units. swimming. a highly placed of the road into Cajititlan. From the outset weekend visitors were able to enjoy the resort possibilities of the village. The new image of urban Mexican life presented to the people of is one of wealth and presumably limitless leisure. outcentury leisure class: speedboats door barbecue and transistor radios. from the tourist point of view. evident in this relation? Social-class behavior. ants?whatever This profile of urban culture is so money remote from the experience of the Cajititlan peasant that many of the and the section of the villagers think that the tourists are Americans. second-person the interaction of characterizes transient relationship patron-client tourists and villagers. Mercedes automobiles and uniformed servcan buy. The visitors from Guadalajara bring with them the paraphernalia of a twentieth and water skies. facilities. leisure activity. boating. was completed in 1960 and linked the village to the well-traveled route between Guadalajara and the Lake Chapala resort area. The villager is almost always addressed by the visitor in the familiar or It might be said that a temporary verb forms. They seem unaware that the profile of urban culture to which they and represents are now exposed is extremely selective weekend. or have remodeled in an urban fashion. however. known as Los Bungalos. and four traditional houses have been leased or purchased for remodeling. The average tourist. appealing altered local culture patterns. char? Cajititlan acteristics with which they.IN WEEKENDISMO A MEXICAN VILLAGE 349 Construction of the new graded vehicular road. does not participate in or understand The relationship be? the daily life of the village. Eight new houses have been built since the opening of the new road. which brings the tourists to Cajititlan. have dramatically reform was the assignment and far-reaching The most important . however. and running They have introduced plumbing water to the community. ship. have built rather elaborate existing structures houses. cannot identify. is frequently with the villager relegated to a lower class vis-ci-vis the tourist. and waterThe wealthier visitors have purchased lake-front skiing. as peasant Mexicans. with water sports the lake shore. beach umbrellas equipment and brief bathing suits. to make the village more certain "reforms. plots. Upon the completion state official took an active interest in the internal affairs of the village as a tourist of newly accessible and in the development Cajititlan to be a frequent visitor and innovator." designed instituting These reforms. One member of the community has set himself up as a real estate broker. have land. Other measures initiated by the state government. in emphasizing the relationship between the ad? vent of outside police authority and tourism. community they have accepted Nevertheless. these edicts thus far with only verbal reaction?in much the same have traditionally bowed to outside way that peasants authority. on orders value system. while the younger men tend to feel that their rights ?to race horses. called rurales. It should be noted. annually recorded in the delegacion (city hall) two or three deaths from fire arms. and a combination inn and restaurant has come into existence. soliciting bids on locally owned from weekend visitors and charging a 23^ per cent comproperty mission on any property sold. an order against stray dogs (strays are shot by the rurales). This was a traditional pastime and a competitive expression of a masculine skill. accompanied a community rurales have also successfully where less de-pistolized than a year ago it was not uncommon for adult males to wear pistols to church. from the state. the prohibition of livestock in the streets. however.350 to the ETHNOLOGY of three rural police. The Cajititldnces have not. the abolition of the wearing of the tradi? tional white cotton trousers (called calzones) on the grounds that All of these measures were they are underwear and hence indecent. the rurales themselves and not against the reason for their presence. normally used for the production been sold as building sites. tourism. order is mixed: older family heads tend to welcome the security of armed authority. no such deaths have occurred. which was not infrequently The by violent disputes. that the three-man force of rurales is augmented on weekends and fiesta days. The members of the were not consulted. Large parcels of lake-front of cash garden crops. In the brief period since the road was completed. restrict traditional the prohibition of hunting with arms in the nearby hills. Since the arrival of the rurales in January. undertaken and enforced unilaterally with the idea that the village would be more suitable and safer for tourists. and two measures taken by them have struck at the core of the male-oriented The rurales have. The plaza has taken on a market as local merchants stock larger quanduring weekends atmosphere . although less behavior. gun play. Reaction to the new law and 1962. directly re? community The heavily armed rurales con? sponsible to the state government. to fire off a magazine of expensive ammunition in conspicuous display. two beer pavilions have been constructed on the lake shore. where feuding or any serious dispute might result in Cajititlan. to dispute bets. enforced the abolition of horse racing. to kill and be killed for a point of honor?are is directed against Resentment being infringed upon. failed to respond in a posi? tive way to the economic opportunities presented them by tourism. stitute the first effective law enforcement has known in Cajititlan modern times. jailing as a punishment for drunkenness and for urinating in the streets. Some of these measures are striking. to be assumed once during a man's lifetime. Parking space for automobiles is rented by owners of desirable lake-front swimming and picnic sites. some generalizations assumed that. political office was not sought after and held at best. accusation and the like. fruits. It may be are nevertheless munity. concerned here with the effects Though I have been specifically com? urban tourists and tourism in a mestizo peasant of Mexican indicated. little prestige. of fraud against disputes over the operation of the ejido. As noted earlier. trol of political power by one or the other barrio has become a matter of utmost concern. deprived by outside authority have and competition. term. beer. which might serve as functional are at this juncture equivalents. have recently become intensified. I suggest at least two efficient causes for this intensification of causes are undoubtedly and conflict. Local fishermen turn their canoes into sightof the visitors. segments of the urban population trialization in appropriate rural and resort seek recreation will increasingly . however. These conflicts have resulted in a general breakdown of village level cooperation. as urban populations expand in response to indusand economic growth. ponent of the society has taken on new importance. Increased and new forms of commercial activity indicate an incipient local market economy and the advent of the entrepreneur as a new and important role.IN WEEKENDISMO A MEXICAN VILLAGE 351 tities than usual of such items as cigarettes. of They have involved the resignation numerous political meetings and petitions. that political (2) There is a growing awareness power on the has been temporarily the fact that local autonomy local level?despite that power to benefit enable the group holding displaced?might in some way from the increased economic activity brought materially about by tourism. of the (1) The men of Cajititlan. political Cajititlan had three mayors in a period of as many months. and vegetables. unobtainable. with regard to these village officials. equivalent. relatively dormant pology. in anthro? That change involves conflict is almost axiomatic Hostilities between the two rival barrios. special elections. A series of unprecedented actions has occurred since the advent of tourism. mayors. immediately follow? The mayor usually serves a one-year ing the arrival of the rurales. a duty or obligation comreasons an existing structural for functional Now. Butchers display in the plaza more fresh meat than and barbecued cracklings formerly and sell cooked-on-the-spot goat to the hungry tourists. although hostility multiple operative. soft drinks. The holding of political office was considered. traditional forms of masculine self-expression of barrio hostility a functional found in the revival and intensification Those aspects of urban culture to which they are exposed. Partisanship issues has been structured along barrio lines. and the con? since the late 1920s. while the village seeing craft for the convenience musicians serenade picnicking groups. A Note on the "Trickle Effect. of this phenomenon of will proceed as understanding Understanding urban populations?from the nature of industrializing which the to advance. NOTE 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fallers. 1955. should be alert to the consequences. 1954. (2) that it is a legitimate and necessary area of culture change research. at the 1962 annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Little. and portions of an economy. Actas del XXXIII Congresso Internacional de Americanistas 1: 387-402. L. the technical assistance agent. A. Srinivas. 1962. in a similar form. or the trader. R. The Culture of the Vecindad in Mexico City: Two Case Studies. Structural Changes in the Sierra Leone Protectorate. that a potential tourist environments. This paper was read. special whatever or nationalism?the anthro? reason?tourism. Some Traditionally Based Forms of Mutual Aid in West African Urbanization. Chicago. lasting from July. because importance outside financial interests society. Certainly the tourist is today more ubiquitous than the missionary. M. Lewis. Peasant Society and Culture: An Anthropological Approach to Civilization. nativism. is not autono? mous.352 ETHNOLOGY It is not unlikely. H. however. 1959. financed through a grant from the National Science Foundation. In the newly developing of today's world. O. Jalisco. Ethnology 1: 197-211. George M. therefore. will attract to the host community and political tourism and its effects in a authority." Public Opinion Quarterly 18: 314-321. understood without reference to village society cannot be adequately the socio-economic structure of the larger society of which it is a part. when the countries the formal apparatus of the state) takes larger society (particularly in previously interest for overlooked rural communities. I alone. tourist profile must be drawn?continues I hope to have demonstrated (1) that tourism may bring about rapid and dramatic changes in the loci of authority. 1962. Redfield. K. . I am indebted to Prof. 1956. 1961. 1956. . Obviously." felt the impact of industrializing Mexico the medium of through weekendismo. value systems. all of whom have been considered as agents of diffusion and accultura? tion. . Foster for direction and encouragement during the course of the field work and for criticism of this paper. to August. Redfield (1956: 68) pologist has written: "The culture of a peasant community . land-use patterns. am responsible for the collection and interpretation of the data. Africa 25:217-233. It is an aspect or dimension of the civilization of which it is a The culture of peasant Cajititlan has certainly and quickly part. Far Eastern Quarterly 15:481-496. A Note on Sanskritization and Westernization. and (3) that the study of tourism may provide another laboratory situation for the testing of acculturation theory. to the larger of its possible economic resort. The data upon which it is based were collected during a field trip to the community of Cajititlan.
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