Living within the Mundo Maya Project: Strategies of Maya Handicrafts Vendors

Mundo Maya (Maya World) tourism promotional materials prominently feature female Maya vendors because they are the Mayas most visible and accessible to outsiders. However, these vendors do not directly reap the benefits of monetary or institutional aid. Instead, they have learned to use the ways in which they are represented by tourism promotions for economic gain. Their experience reflects the contradictions between representation and agency in an expanding economic system that is increasingly commoditizing cultural practices generated by women.