Anthropologist Anthony Jerry, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California San Diego, recently took a group of students to Mexico’s Costa Chica region to explore the Afro-Mexican communities in Oaxaca and their quest for “cultural recognition, what it means to be black, and to ultimately define the cultural and racial parameters of blackness in Mexico.
“These stakeholders have included, local NGO’s, local and state government officials, local activists interested in issues of racial discrimination, as well as local community members who have found themselves confronted with the political question of “who are we.” Answering this question has not been easy.”
Professor Jerry and his students’ scholarly approach explains how one aspect of cultural definition for the Costa Chica populace is through their culinary methods and the use of local ingredients and herbs, in cooking as well as medicinal remedies. Presented here are a variety of Costa Chican recipes and remedies, herbs, and images.
Also: An essay and photos about the African descendants in Oaxaca