Resumen de History, Culture, and Place� Making: 'Native' Status and Maya Identity In Belize
Often, the identity of people with territory is reinforced through constructions of history which produce people and place simultaneously. However, place�making may involve the cultural territorialization of space, through attention to the details of "dwelling" in, and through, particular landscapes. When people and 'place' are not isomorphic, constructions which link history, culture, people, and place may be contested. In Belize, officially a multiethnic nation, the question of who may legitimately claim 'native' status is much contested. Although Creoles, Garifuna, and mestizos acknowledge roots in other continents, people who belong to each of these categories have also claimed 'native' status in Belize. At the same time, Mopan and Kekchi Maya are portrayed as descendants of 19th century immigrants to Belize from Guatemala. This paper explores these competing claims to 'native' status and their implications for the construction of a pan�Maya identity among Mopan� and Kekchispeakers
