Ethnomycology in the Tacaná Volcano Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico

Disponible para usuarios de ECOSUR con su clave de acceso

In order to contribute to the rescue of the fast disappearing knowledge of mushrooms and their use held by the Mam ethnic group living within the "Tacaná Volcano Biosphere Reserve", in Chiapas, Mexico, the use and knowledge of mushrooms was investigated by applying open unstructured and spontaneous interviews, to elderly speakers of the Mam language who were presented fresh biological material. Of the 50 fungi shown, informants acknowledged 16. Some names of mushrooms in Mam have no meaning in Spanish or Mam although phonetically some names are very similar to Spanish words. Most mushrooms are used for food, important mushrooms include Lycoperdon umbrinum, which is both edible and medicinal, Amanita muscaria, which is poisonous and used as cattle feed and Agaricus sylvaticus known as Xch'kbi lak' in the Mam language.The Mam-speaking inhabitants have developed ways of preparation and treatment for mushroom consumption and can identify mushrooms depending on the shape, appearance (mature or immature) and size they present. It is stressed that the knowledge of mushrooms possessed by this ethnic group at the studied site, is limited and on the threshold of disappearing. eng