Arias 1990; Adams and Bastos 2003; Hawkins 1984; Gillen 1958; Tumin 1952; Warren 1998;

Watanabe 1992). My own analysis in this study considers the question of identity at three

different levels: identities constructed primarily at the local-level among community members in

the town, identities defined by state institutions, and local identities strongly influenced by global

processes, more specifically the influx of a cash economy and international migration.

Using the Term Maya

 My use of the term Maya, specifically "Pokomam Maya", to describe individuals and

groups in the municipality of Jalapa is conscious and purposeful. When I first started research in

the community I was not even sure that there were "Maya" in San Pedro Pinula. I had heard that

there were Indians in San Pedro Pinula, but locals and other Guatemalanists alike claimed that

the Indians seemed to have "lost" their authenticity. I was also searching for the common

denominators of the Maya in their clothing, language, and cultural markers. Did they speak

Pokomam? Did the women wear traditional dress? Did they engage in Maya rituals? How did

they define themselves? While these questions were important during the initial stages of my

fieldwork, I found that the questions turned out to be as important as the answers. My search for

definitions of who these people were enabled me to be aware of the variety of identities that are

present in the region, especially those that are not easily explained by dualistic notions of Maya

vs. Ladino, although I do recognize the limitations of concepts such as "cultural survivals," and

"syncretism" since they employ a synthesis of Maya and Ladino culture and these concepts

inform the initial framework of this study. I continue to struggle to understand ethnic,

community, and national identity among the Maya in Guatemala.

 Each barrio, town, village, and region in Guatemala reveals characteristics closely tied to

its specific history and culture. Because of this diversity compromises the accuracy of broad

generalizations, I have made as few as seemed possible. I am steered by my informants' own