ABSTRACT
Twenty-five-year-old Izel grew up during a time of high hope in central Yucatan. In his grandparents’ time, the area was still recovering from the “Caste Wars,” a 50-year rebellion for Yucatan’s independence. The Mayans lost that war, but Izel’s parents, hoping to give their children a better life than previous generations had known, worked hard to educate Izel and his five siblings. They supplemented their peasant farming income by making hammocks that his mother sold in the nearby town of Ticul, accessible by motorcycle on a rutted road. His father had some schooling and learned enough Spanish to eventually get a job as an assistant garage mechanic. Izel managed to graduate from high school, and his hopes were understandably high when rumors began circulating that wealthy businessmen were coming to Yucatan to build deluxe hotels on the Caribbean shore—what would eventually become known as the Riviera Maya, near some of the great ruins that are now major international tourist sites. Many young men with high school educations, like Izel—especially those who spoke good Spanish—expected to find hotel jobs and make enough money to buy homes in their villages. When Izel traveled to the area in search of work, he discovered that the full-time jobs were instead taken by Spanish-speaking mestizos who had come from big cities in Mexico, could speak English, and were familiar with the ways of the gringos who frequented the hotels. With his hopes dashed, Izel remained in Ticul, despondent, taking odd jobs and hoping for other economic development projects that might favor Mayans.
