Cultural tourism in Latin America : : the politics of space and imagery / / edited by Michiel Baud and Annelou Ypeij.

• Superior document: CEDLA Latin America studies, v. 96
• TeilnehmendeR: Baud, Michiel, 1952-; Ypeij, Johanna Louisa.
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Latin America studies ; 96.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (336 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Cultural tourism has become an important source of revenue for Latin American countries, especially in the Andes and Meso-America. Tourists go there looking for authentic cultures and artefacts and interact directly with indigenous people. Cultural tourism therefore takes place in close engagement with local societies. This book analyse the effects of cultural tourism and the processes of change it provokes in local societies. It analyses the intricacies of informal markets, the consequences of enforcing tourist policies, the varied encounters of foreign tourists with local populations, and the images and identities that result from the development of tourism. The contributors convincingly show that the tourist experience and the reactions to tourist activities can only be understood if analysed from within local contexts. Contributors: Michiel Baud, Annelou Ypeij, Lisa Breglia, Quetzil E. Castañeda, Ben Feinberg, Carla Guerrón Montero, Walter E. Little, Keely B. Maxwell, Lynn A. Meisch, Zoila S. Mendoza, Alan Middleton, Beatrice Simon, Griet Steel, Gabriela Vargas-Cetina. “Tourism in Latin America – especially the sort of cultural tourism that plays to desires for authentic experiences – has become a key foreigner currency earner for many countries. This important volume examines the impact of tourism across the region, providing a rich survey of the range of experiences and teasing out the theoretical implications. From the almost surreal Mi Pueblito theme park in Panama to mushroom-hunting tourists in Oaxaca to the eco-trail leading to Machu Pichu, these chapters present compelling cases that speak to identity formation, nationalism, and economic impacts. As the contributors show, benefits are differentially accrued to various actors – and often not to the communities that tourists come to see. Yet, the contributors also make it clear that in struggles over ownership, authenticity, and political representation, local communities actively shape the contours and meanings of tourism, at times successfully leveraging cultural capital into economic gains.” Edward F. Fischer, Director Center for Latin American Studies, Vanderbilt University

Table of Contents

Cultural tourism in Latin America : an introduction / Michiel Baud and Annelou Ypeij -- Tourism, folklore and the emergence of regional and national identities / Zoila S. Mendoza -- The 'three roots' of Panama's cultural heritage : the construction of racial and national identities in theme parks / Carla Guerron Montero -- Through the othering gaze : Yucatecan trova music and 'the tourist' in Yucatan, Mexico / Gabriela Vargas-Cetina -- 'A symbol of wisdom and love'? : counter-cultural tourism and the multiple faces of Maria Sabina in Huautla, Oaxaca / Ben Feinberg -- Sacamefotos and tejedoras : frontstage performance and backstage meaning in a Peruvian context / Beatrice Simon -- Tourism, the state and the marketing of traditional Andean artesanias : problematic encounters, pitfalls, and competing interests / Lynn A. Meisch -- Dishing up the city : tourism and street vendors in Cuzco / Griet Steel -- Caught between nature and culture : making a living within the world heritage site of Machu Picchu, Peru / Keely B. Maxwell and Annelou Ypeij -- Trivializing culture, social conflict and heritage tourism in Quito / Alan Middleton -- Contesting heritage in Antigua, Guatemala / Walter E. Little -- Hacienda hotels and other ironies of luxury in Yucatan, Mexico / Lisa Breglia -- Heritage and indigeneity : transformations in the politics of tourism / Quetzil E. Castaneda.