CREENCIAS Y PRÁCTICAS RITUALES EN TORNO A LA CACERÍA DE SUBSISTENCIA EN COMUNIDADES DEL NORTE DE YUCATÁN, MÉXICO.

The main purpose of subsistence hunting is to satisfy the basic needs of the hunter and his family, as well as other members of his community. This practice represents a tradition in the society-nature relationship associated with obtaining meat, and also involves a strong social and coexistence between hunters, as well as the integration of knowledge, practice and beliefs around wildlife. The objective of this work was to describe the beliefs and ritual practices associated with the hunting activity in four rural communities located in the area of influence of the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve and the State Reserve of Dzilam, Yucatán. From January to July 2016, information was obtained through open (180) and semi-structured (95) interviews, participant observation and field journal records. The hunt is practiced in the communities of study is not only subsistence in the material sense, but also involves social and cultural components, adaptation processes to the environment, and magical-religious notions and knowledge. 88.4% of the interviewees reported some legend, belief or ceremony related to the hunt, being elderly people who kept these traditions. The loss and little interest in beliefs and practices around hunting by young people, as well as changes in the lifestyle, could modify the patterns and dynamics of the current hunt. The regulation of hunting by means of traditional beliefs and practices may be insufficient, since the symbolic value of the species is lost. However, the loss of interest in hunting and in the activities of the field in general, could induce a decrease in the rates of extraction of wildlife, which would be reflected in its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]