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Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town
Winner of the 2014 Maccoby Award from the American Psychological Association, Division 7!
Born with the destiny of becoming a Mayan sacred midwife, Chona Pérez has carried on centuries-old traditional Indigenous American birth and healing practices over her 85 years. At the same time, Chona developed new approaches to the care of pregnancy, newborns, and mothers based on her own experience and ideas. In this way, Chona has contributed to both the cultural continuities and cultural changes of her town over the decades.
In Developing Destinies, Barbara Rogoff illuminates how individuals worldwide build on cultural heritage from prior generations and at the same time create new ways of living. Throughout Chona's lifetime, her Guatemalan town has continued to use longstanding Mayan cultural practices, such as including children in a range of community activities and encouraging them to learn by observing and contributing. But the town has also transformed dramatically since the days of Chona's own childhood. For instance, although Chona's upbringing included no formal schooling, some of her grandchildren have gone on to attend university and earn scholarly degrees. The lives of Chona and her town provide extraordinary examples of how cultural practices are preserved even as they are adapted and modified.
Developing Destinies is an engaging narrative of one remarkable person's life and the life of her community that blends psychology, anthropology, and history to reveal the integral role that culture plays in human development. With extensive photographs and accounts of Mayan family life, medical practices, birth, child development, and learning, Rogoff adeptly shows that we can better understand the role of culture in our lives by examining how people participate in cultural practices. This landmark book brings theory alive with fascinating ethnographic findings that advance our understanding of childhood, culture, and change.
Born with the destiny of becoming a Mayan sacred midwife, Chona Pérez has carried on centuries-old traditional Indigenous American birth and healing practices over her 85 years. At the same time, Chona developed new approaches to the care of pregnancy, newborns, and mothers based on her own experience and ideas. In this way, Chona has contributed to both the cultural continuities and cultural changes of her town over the decades.
In Developing Destinies, Barbara Rogoff illuminates how individuals worldwide build on cultural heritage from prior generations and at the same time create new ways of living. Throughout Chona's lifetime, her Guatemalan town has continued to use longstanding Mayan cultural practices, such as including children in a range of community activities and encouraging them to learn by observing and contributing. But the town has also transformed dramatically since the days of Chona's own childhood. For instance, although Chona's upbringing included no formal schooling, some of her grandchildren have gone on to attend university and earn scholarly degrees. The lives of Chona and her town provide extraordinary examples of how cultural practices are preserved even as they are adapted and modified.
Developing Destinies is an engaging narrative of one remarkable person's life and the life of her community that blends psychology, anthropology, and history to reveal the integral role that culture plays in human development. With extensive photographs and accounts of Mayan family life, medical practices, birth, child development, and learning, Rogoff adeptly shows that we can better understand the role of culture in our lives by examining how people participate in cultural practices. This landmark book brings theory alive with fascinating ethnographic findings that advance our understanding of childhood, culture, and change.
343 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 15, 2025
I loved how the author’s theme of developing traditional practices was highlighted through a single individual. Chona’s experiences as a Mayan iyoom (midwife) demonstrates how people can be both rooted in tradition yet adapting to fit modern needs.
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September 18, 2023Always wary when it comes to ethnography, but enjoyed the discussion of destiny and how it pertains to development in different cultural contexts. Made me think about the western obsession with “on-time” development, milestones and checkpoints, spiritual development in children, and producing accessible knowledge that’s steered by subjects and their communities.
I’m using a new metaphor to think about culture and environment. They’re more of a goo or liquid that seep into individuals than the classic Bronfenbrennerian nesting dolls that were shown to me in a developmental psych class.
Refreshing to read this work in a psychology course setting. Qualitative methods are so important to developmental science. I’m sick of studying traits and behaviors like they exist in a vacuum.
Three cheers for ethical and informed ethnography!
I’m using a new metaphor to think about culture and environment. They’re more of a goo or liquid that seep into individuals than the classic Bronfenbrennerian nesting dolls that were shown to me in a developmental psych class.
Refreshing to read this work in a psychology course setting. Qualitative methods are so important to developmental science. I’m sick of studying traits and behaviors like they exist in a vacuum.
Three cheers for ethical and informed ethnography!
August 17, 2022
Read it for a class but honestly it was very interesting. Sometimes random and Rogoff repeats and rambles but you can skip over that stuff
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews