El carácter simbólico como factor de conservación del coyote (canis latrans say) y tlacuache (didelphis virginiana kerr) en la Mixteca Poblana, Mexico
Estrada-Portillo, D.S. | Rosas-Rosas, O.C. | Parra-Inzunza, F. | Guerrero-Rodríguez, J.D. | Tarango-Arámbula, L.A.
The perceptions and attitudes that people have in the communities of the Puebla Mixteca region (México) towards coyote and opossum (Canis latrans and Didelphis virginiana) are based on local experiences and knowledge, structured by interactions, past and present. To understand the cultural association and uses that are given to them, it is necessary to address the problematic they face from an integral approach. The objective of this study was to understand the perception and symbology that inhabitants of the Puebla Mixteca region have about these species, as well as the local knowledge related to their conservation. For this purpose, the value of use, the cultural importance index (CII), and the myths present about them were established. The results indicated that the coyote and the opossum instill fear in the inhabitants of the Puebla Mixteca region, both from the cultural context and from the intelligence perceived in them, which they consider to be “malignant”, dangerous; and that they not have conservation importance. However, it is necessary to revert this perception, for their extinction impacts on other elements of the ecosystem breaking their natural balance.
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