Título

Religious Tourism in the Hill of Tepexpan: A new research approach-from dedifferentiation

Autor

VICTOR MANUEL MORA TORRES

ROCIO DEL CARMEN SERRANO BARQUIN

Héctor Javier Favila Cisneros

MARTHA CAROLINA SERRANO BARQUIN

Nivel de Acceso

Acceso Abierto

Licencia

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Materias

religious tourism - ([2009-7379]) dedifferentiation - ([2009-7379]) pilgrimage - ([2009-7379]) Mexic - ([2009-7379]) CIENCIAS SOCIALES - (CTI)

Resumen o descripción

This theoretical and methodological paper presents research undertaken to comprehend

the social dynamic of religious tourism in a traditional sanctuary located in the Hill of

Tepexpan, Mexico. Visitor experience, as tourist or pilgrim, has been little studied in

Mexican religious tourism literature, which has focused mainly on quantitative and

economics aspects. For this reason, a more holistic and comprehensive way to

understand the phenomenon is desirable, especially in destinations that receive a variety

of visitors with different practices and motivations.

The Tepexpan Hill Sanctuary has been a sacred place since Colonial times for two

ethnic groups: Mazahuas and Otomíes. Their rituals and celebrations are good examples

of syncretism between Pre-Hispanic and Catholic beliefs. However, in recent years there

has been a rise of visitors that do not belong to the traditional pilgrimages, which may

lead to the existence of secular activities and motivations in the hill. Hence, there is a

need to understand the social practices of visitors, sacred or secular, in different spaces

during their stay in the sanctuary.

Using Collins-Kreiner’s dedifferentiation concept (2010) enriched with contributions

from Smith (1992), this research attempts to understand the Tepexpan Hill Sanctuary as

a ‘third space’ where tourism and pilgrimage practices coexist (Collins-Kreiner and

Gatrell, 2006). Ethnography seems to be the most suitable method of qualitative

research as religious tourism implies a quest for meaning in the visit. Studying the

similarities and intersections between tourism and pilgrimage is useful for visitor

management in religious sites. To achieve a sustainable management of the sanctuary in

the future, the proposed research can help to maximise benefits while minimising social

and cultural conflicts between actors with different interests in the destination.

Editor

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Fecha de publicación

10 de julio de 2016

Tipo de publicación

Artículo

Recurso de información

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11799/65299

Fuente

2009-7379

Idioma

Inglés

Relación

Vol.;4

Audiencia

Estudiantes

Investigadores

Repositorio Orígen

REPOSITORIO INSTITUCIONAL DE LA UAEM

Descargas

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