Conurbación, cambio sociocultural e identidad comunitaria en la periferia de la ciudad de Mérida: el caso de Cholul

Abstract

In this article I reveal the social-cultural consequences conurbation has had on the ex-henequen (sisal) town of Cholul with the vast and growing city of Merida, Yucatan. In the first instance I will discuss the material impact urbanization and real estate interests have had on the town, from before the crisis in the henequen industry to present day. Following this I will consider a variety of socio-cultural changes and analyze them through the lens of the social representations that Cholul’s residents construct in their daily lives and within the sphere of their economy, education, family and local traditions. At the end of this paper I reflect on their sense of community identity as a mechanism for bringing coherence to all the social-cultural changes that have been discussed in this article.