The river and mangroves in the cultural landscape of thePapaloapan Basin: anthropological and ecological perspectives

perspectivas antropológicas y ecológicas

Abstract

The principal theme of this article focuses on the landscape of the Papaloapan River Basin in
Southern Veracruz, specifically the area of Tlacotalpan and surrounding communities. This territory
contains cultural manifestations and natural characteristics that form a unique cultural landscape,
one in which both material and nonmaterial elements highlight the relationship between nature and
society. Tlacotalpan is located within a multicultural region, with occupation dating to as early as
the Mesoamerican Preclassic Period (1200 BC-200 AD). Ecologically, the study area is located
within the Alvarado Lagoon System. It is therefore useful to discuss a type of lacustrine-based
way of life that has developed over time. Using two complementary disciplinary approaches, we
demonstrate how societies of diverse ethnic affiliations settled on the river plain and utilized the
natural resources available in the river, lagoons, and wetlands to satisfy their needs. We analyze the
anthropic footprint, which has impacted the region of study for years, from both an anthropological
and ecological perspective to highlight not only the importance of the ecosystem within sustainable
development but also the entire sociocultural framework of adaptation to a unique environment
in which relationships of interdependence, subsistence, and reciprocity, as well as the continuous
construction of both the cultural landscape and biocultural heritage, can be observed.