UCLA

This thesis examines how Mesoamerican healing knowledge and practices persist among Indigenous people living away from their homelands. The Mesoamerican diaspora in Los Angeles is Indigenous, with many Zapotec, Mixtec, Mixe, and Maya people now calling the region their home. This qualitative study is informed by archival research, open-ended interviews, and participant observation. I interviewed three Indigenous knowledge keepers in Los Angeles to discuss how living far from their traditional homelands affects Indigenous knowledge production and transmission. Four themes are identified in the thesis: transforming fear into motivation and hope, Indigenous identity and knowledge, Indigenous knowledge and transmission, and Indigenous approaches to health and healing. The research findings demonstrate that Indigenous knowledge keepers are maintaining Indigenous knowledge by honoring what I call “abuelita knowledge” and creating sites for knowledge transmission through online platforms, community workshops, and family mentorship.