ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on periods of ethnic mobilization in Mexico are very often guided by the official institutions and the political use of indigenous culture in ways that are deeply rooted in semi-authoritarian government systems. Merida, the capital city of Yucatan, houses almost one half of the state's total population and centralizes most of the region's cultural, political and private sectors, resulting in a local economy with a very high rate of non-rural jobs. The Maya professionals, who are at the center of this study, implement government plans and programs designed to promote their traditions and customs in a variety of public venues that have both local and international audiences. In fact, most of the Maya intellectuals and professionals come from a disadvantaged background that was only surmountable via very important personal and family efforts and, structural advantages only offered by the city of Merida.
