Philosophical conceptions in the gender identities of the mayan people: women, men and complementarity

Abstract

This article analyzes, from the perspective of the Philosophy of Liberation and intercultural approaches, the philosophical conceptions underlying gender identities within the contemporary Maya people. It focuses particularly on the symbolic constructions of femininity and masculinity, as well as on the principle of gender complementarity that emerges from the Maya worldview. These identities are shaped through language, territory, and collective memory, in a critical dialogue with the processes of colonization and modernity. Gender identities are presented not as fixed or essentialist categories, but as dynamic processes of re-signification grounded in collective belonging, interdependence, and the communal ethics that characterize Maya culture. Furthermore, the article proposes understanding Maya identities as practices of resistance and dignity in the face of persistent coloniality.