Documenting Landscape Knowledge in Eastern Chatino: Narratives of Fieldwork in San Juan Quiahije

Elders in San Juan Quiahije, Oaxaca, Mexico, have a unique command of the specialized vocabulary of landscape and associated cultural practices of Eastern Chatino. Drawing on oral evidence from Eastern Chatino, I show in this article a variety of ways in which one individual can relate to landscape. I include details of one day of documentation, highlighting my foot journey with an elder through San Juan Quiahije. The speaker related her life story, and described the physical landscape. I provide background to the language and its vitality, describe our hike, and analyze the language used.