Family Life Strategies and Forms of Food Acquisition in Mayan Localities of Yucatan

Abstract

The objective of the study was to analyze the different forms of food acquisition of the Mayan families of Yucatán under the life strategies approach. In the three localities of interest, different family life strategies were found to satisfy the main nutritional needs, for which they resort to the capitals that make up their subsistence framework, being this determined by habits and customs. Differences were identified in the use of the capital available to the family, which leads into a different vulnerability of each family to external factors, such as market policies and the effects of climate change. This condition is further aggravated by a lack of financial liquidity and social organization in the communities, aspects that condition the life strategies that are reflected in the forms of food acquisition, either by resorting to the traditional agro-ecosystem or the market.