From sages to nuisances: mistreatment of totonac tatas and nanas

Abstract

In rural areas and indigenous communities, the proportion of older adults is higher; however, in some communities, they have gone from being sages to nuisances—a situation that increases the risk of mistreatment through actions or omissions by both the family and the State. Although they are a population entitled to priority attention, the intersection of old age with ethnic origin, disability, loss of health, and other conditions places them in a position of greater vulnerability. This article aims to describe the mistreatment faced by Totonac tatas and nanas (elders) in Mecatlán, Veracruz, Mexico, to understand this problem within contemporary indigenous communities. Regarding the method, the research is documentary in type, with a qualitative approach and a socio-legal study, non-experimental design, and descriptive scope, through which the social phenomenon and the applicable normative framework can be explained and understood. The results, drawn from interviews conducted in the study context, show that older adults habitually suffer various types of violence, primarily neglect or abandonment, economic and patrimonial violence, and psychological mistreatment. In conclusion, it can be affirmed that this sector of the population has ceased to receive the dignified treatment and respect that indigenous peoples traditionally accorded to old age. Likewise, a failure to comply with international treaties as well as national and local legislation on the rights of older persons is detected.