Based on field research among Yucatec Maya in San Francisco, we compare two types of migrant associations: Home Town Associations (HTAs) and social service agencies, specifically in terms of the use and expression of ethnic identity.
We argue that HTA leaders rely on a regionalidentity, largely based on a shared sense of culture, which reproducesthe dominant and widespread view of ethnic identity in Yucatán, namely that the Maya are not indigenous peoples per se. In contrast, leaders of the social service agencies explicitly utilize indigenous identity in their programming and services. We maintain that the latter are re-conceptualizing Maya identity, adopting a U.S. multicultural framework that emphasizes ethnic difference as a basis for making claims for resources and rights.