Prestige and alcohol in South Mexican fiesta: drinking with saint patrons in the central valleys of Oaxaca
Author(s)
Joanna Jadwiga ZamorskaKeywords
Alcohol and alcoholismGender
Ritual
Oaxaca (Mexico : State)
Catholic Church -- Customs and practices
Christian patron saints
Fasts and feasts
Food
Christianity
Eating and meals
Diet
Cooking
Food habits
Nutrition
Latin America
Religion (General)
BL1-50
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Show full item recordAbstract
Food and alcohol are the key elements of celebrating a Mexican fiesta. I show that drinking at patronal feasts can be the way of constructing a respectful position, as presented in the ethnographic material collected in the three suburban communities of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca (in the years 2012–13). I discuss the relation between drinking alcohol at fiestas, participation and collective identity. I analyse the issue of prestige in the context drinking at fiestas and its relation to gender. I also discuss the role of alcohol in ritual exchanging of gifts at the patronal feasts which were under study and its relation with prestige. Other questions being analysed include the problem of refusing drink and the Catholic and non-Catholic critiques of patronal feasts as based on perceptions of excessive drinking. Date
2015-01-01Type
ArticleIdentifier
oai:doaj.org/article:f6466123c6aa46a5b9c640bc28c48c450582-3226
0582-3226
https://doaj.org/article/f6466123c6aa46a5b9c640bc28c48c45