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© 2016

Ethnobotany of Mexico

Interactions of People and Plants in Mesoamerica

  • Rafael Lira
  • Alejandro Casas
  • José Blancas
Book

Part of the Ethnobiology book series (EBL)

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages i-xvi
    PDF
  2. Mexican Ethnobotany: Interactions of People and Plants in Mesoamerica
    Alejandro Casas, José Blancas, Rafael Lira
    Pages 1-19
  3. Ethnobotany in Mexico: History, Development, and Perspectives
    Andrés Camou-Guerrero, Alejandro Casas, Ana Isabel Moreno-Calles, Jahzeel Aguilera-Lara, David Garrido-Rojas, Selene Rangel-Landa et al.
    Pages 21-39
  4. Ethnobotany and Ethnohistorical Sources of Mesoamerica
    Robert Bye, Edelmira Linares
    Pages 41-65
  5. Pre-Columbian Food System in West Mesoamerica
    Daniel Zizumbo-Villarreal, Patricia Colunga-GarcíaMarín, Alondra Flores-Silva
    Pages 67-82
  6. Biodiversity and Edible Plants of Mexico
    Cristina Mapes, Francisco Basurto
    Pages 83-131
  7. Contemporary Maya Food System in the Lowlands of Northern Yucatan
    Carmen Salazar, Daniel Zizumbo-Villarreal, Patricia Colunga-GarcíaMarín, Stephen Brush
    Pages 133-150
  8. Traditional Markets in Mesoamerica: A Mosaic of History and Traditions
    Edelmira Linares, Robert Bye
    Pages 151-177
  9. Ethnobotany for Sustainable Ecosystem Management: A Regional Perspective in the Tehuacán Valley
    Alejandro Casas, Rafael Lira, Ignacio Torres, América Delgado, Ana Isabel Moreno-Calles, Selene Rangel-Landa et al.
    Pages 179-206
  10. Domestication of Plants in Mesoamerica: An Archaeological Review with Some Ethnobotanical Interpretations
    Barbara Pickersgill
    Pages 207-231
  11. Cultural Motives of Plant Management and Domestication
    José Blancas, Alejandro Casas, Ana Isabel Moreno-Calles, Javier Caballero
    Pages 233-255
  12. Evolutionary Ethnobotanical Studies of Incipient Domestication of Plants in Mesoamerica
    Alejandro Casas, José Blancas, Adriana Otero-Arnaiz, Jeniffer Cruse-Sanders, Rafael Lira, Aidé Avendaño et al.
    Pages 257-285
  13. Ethnobotany of Mexican Weeds
    Heike Vibrans
    Pages 287-317
  14. Phylogeographical Approaches to the Study of Plant Domestication, with Special Emphasis on Perennial Plants
    Xitlali Aguirre-Dugua, Antonio González-Rodríguez
    Pages 319-366
  15. Your Beans of the Last Harvest and the Possible Adoption of Bright Ideas
    Daniel G. Debouck
    Pages 367-387
  16. Homo sapiens–Cucurbita interaction in Mesoamerica: Domestication, Dissemination, and Diversification
    Rafael Lira, Luis Eguiarte, Salvador Montes, Daniel Zizumbo-Villarreal, Patricia Colunga-García Marín, Mauricio Quesada
    Pages 389-401
  17. Genetics and Ecology of Wild and Cultivated Maize: Domestication and Introgression
    Jonás Andrés Aguirre-Liguori, Erika Aguirre-Planter, Luis E. Eguiarte
    Pages 403-416
  18. Chile Peppers (Capsicum spp.)
    Barbara Pickersgill
    Pages 417-437
  19. Cotton: Traditional and Modern Uses
    Ana Wegier, Valeria Alavez, Daniel Piñero
    Pages 439-456
  20. An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Loss of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Oaxaca
    Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez, Francisco Vergara-Silva, Javier Caballero
    Pages 457-473
  21. Ethnobotany and Ex situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in México
    Patricia Dávila-Aranda, Isela Rodríguez-Arévalo, Lilia García-Rojas, Andrei Lecona-Rodríguez
    Pages 475-489
  22. Biosafety and Environmental Releases of GM Crops in Mesoamerica: Context Does Matter
    Francisca Acevedo, Elleli Huerta, Caroline Burgeff
    Pages 491-505
  23. A Human Rights Perspective on the Plant Genetic Resources of Mesoamerica: Heritage, Plant Breeder’s Rights, and Geographical Indications
    Jorge Larson, Claudia Aguilar, Fabiola González, Desirée Sánchez
    Pages 507-552
  24. Back Matter
    Pages 553-560
    PDF

About this book

Introduction

This book reviews the history, current state of knowledge, and different research approaches and techniques of studies on the interactions between humans and plants in an important area of agriculture and ongoing plant domestication: Mesoamerica.  Leading scholars and key research groups in Mexico discuss essential topics as well as contributions from international research groups that have conducted studies on ethnobotany and domestication of plants in the region. Such a convocation will produce an interesting discussion about future investigation and conservation of regional human cultures, genetic resources, and cultural and ecological processes that are critical for global sustainability.

Keywords

Domestication ethnobotany ethnoecology genetic resources sustainability

Editors and affiliations

  • Rafael Lira
    • 1
  • Alejandro Casas
    • 2
  • José Blancas
    • 3
  1. 1.Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos(UBIUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoEstado de MexicoMexico
  2. 2.Instituto de Ivestigaciones en EcosistemUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMoreliaMexico
  3. 3.Centro de Investigación en BiodiversidadUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de MorelColonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca,Mexico

About the editors

Dr. Rafael Lira
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Laboratorio de Recursos Naturales, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlanepantla, Mexico

Alejandro Casas, PhD
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

Bibliographic information

Reviews

“This book is a tour de force. The 59 contributors … provide a wealth of information in its 22 chapters, each of which is well referenced via footnotes. It presents both introductory and advanced material but also asks important questions about gaps in knowledge; this makes it relevant to undergraduates, postgraduates and postdoctoral scientists/researchers as well as policy makers and anyone concerned with establishing sustainable development.” (Dr. A. M. Mannion, British Ecology Society, Vol. 48 (1), April, 2017)

“The editors need to be congratulated for having brought forward a volume that will be the standard for years to come. Policymakers, researchers, and the general public have for the first time a concise but readable overview of the ethnobotany of Mexico. Everyone interested in ethnobotany … will find a wealth of information in this volume. Overall, Ethnobotany of Mexico is a great example as to how modern ethnobotanical treatises should be structured, and what information they should include.” (Economic Botany, Vol. 70 (4), December, 2016)