Despite migration affecting the everyday lives of migrants, they maintain their cultural knowledge, customs and traditions — especially those related to the use of medicinal plants and the natural environment, said collaborators at the Center for Research and Advanced Population Studies (CIEAP) at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM).
Aiming to explore knowledge related to local herbalism as an element of cultural identity and territorial roots, but also as an indicator of cultural strength in the face of external factors, expects Saúl Alejandro García and Rafael Guzmán Mendoza carried out a study in the community of San José del Rincón, in the State of Mexico.
University students said that in recent years there has been a displacement of people in the Mazahua region that has had a big impact on the community. They chose this community to study because it represents classic migration conditions that force people to move to cities like Mexico City or Querétaro, and even the United States.
García and Guzmán Mendoza said that this research taught them the importance of understanding the uses of medicinal plants, and that women tend to be the most practiced and knowledgeable users of this information.