Paper short abstract:

I deal with cases of ritual practices and celebrations carried out by Purépechas emigrated to the United States in contexts of spatial and territorial displacements, which involve cultural change and identity mobility. Such examples are analyzed both in the communities of origin and in "the north".

Paper long abstract:

The space and territory and the relationship established with them and around them are two of the key elements that define the membership of a group and the identification of people with a specific culture, as Castilleja, Liffman, Zárate, and others have shown. These concepts are far from being simple and immutable, on the contrary, they are dynamic, complex, and are constantly re-elaborated according to the social and historical conditions of the group in question. In the case of the Purépecha people of Mexico (settled in the state of Michoacán in the central-western part of the country, with a population close to 180,000 inhabitants), it is possible to find a shift or an extension in the conception of their ancient territoriality and space towards new places where they emigrate, mainly to the United States of America.

In this paper, I will present some examples of ritual practices that support the identity of the people and that incorporate external elements and practices (including "contradictory" ones) that people have endorsed through the mechanism of cultural change and control, proposed by Guillermo Bonfil Batalla. I will also present some practices that are carried out in the United States by displaced Purépecha communities (many of whose members are illegal immigrants), in order to keep their identity and sense of belonging alive, mainly through large fiestas of the patron saints, as well as the celebration of the rites of passage, such as weddings, baptisms and Quince años (Fifteen-year celebrations).