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The aim of this paper is to describe and clarify several aspects of religio-cultural integration of a small catholic community, Mani. The study focus is on the concrete description and analysis of ritual kinship and ejido in Mani. The ritual kinship is one of the oldest religious factors derived from Europe and ejido is one of the latest economic factors brought about by the Revolution in 1910. The religio-cultural integration includes such various socio-cultural as well as historic factors and provides legitimation for the integration of the whole society and the functioning of other social organizations. In a Mayanyucatecan catholic community Mani in Yucatan, Mexico, the ritual kinship (compadrazgo and padrinazgo) as the institution is the most widespread intimate spiritual social relationship, into which a man or a woman may enter on such occasions of contracting the main sacraments of the catholic church as ocja (mayan baptism), baptism, confirmation, primera comunion, 15-year-old ceremony and marriage. The results of our investigation show (1) that the ritual kinship integrates socially such dissociative families as the first marriage family and the second marriage family ; (2) that the ritual kinship integrates their friends and acquaintances into a sacred social family relationship ; (3) that the ritual kinship throws them into an emotional and passionate spiritual integration. The ritual kinship also functions as a supplementary social institution to nuclear families. It improves the tense relation between the family members and serves as a role model of catholic virtue. The ejido system is a product of the Revolution in 1910 and it is prescribed under Article 27 of the constitution. The management of each ejido is directed in a systematic and rational manner to the utmost extent. This sort of legal or rational formalities in ejido are clearly distinguished from the meaning and value of ritual kinship in Mani. Any religion has actually developed itself comprehending a great deal of historical facts. It is a social phenomenon comprised of several changes as well as a traditional strong cohesion.

The aim of this paper is to describe and clarify some aspects of social structure of a Mayanyucatecan catholic community, Mani, in terms of social space. The social space of a catholic community, Mani, is composed of two main distinctive areas : El Centro and Barrios. This El Centro-Barrio distinction is from European catholic culture. El Centro is the political and economic nucleus of Mestizo, people of mixed blood, and there are living the Spanish-speaking original vecinos of Mani. In contrast, the Barrios are traditional residential sectors, where the Mayas and their descendants are living in the traditional Indian houses. In Mani there is another core area called Kiwic, which is the traditional Maya social space situated near the cenote and ceiba tree. According to the archaeological facts about Post-Classic Yucatec settlement patterns, the temple or temples were located at the core area of the each community, and around the temples extended the houses. The Maya communities were divided into four wards, Barrios, Tzuculs or Calpulli and these four endogamous wards consisted of exogamous patrilineages. In the middle of 16th century, village communities in Mani were, generally termed as Ah-a village name-ob. This Ah-ob was divided into two to four subordinate organizations, Cuchteel. Ahcuchcab, head of Cuchteel, was appointed by Vbatabil Cah, who governed the Ah-ob. Ahcuchcab and Vbatabil were put under the control of Halach Vinic, who governed the community of several Ah-obs. It had its own communal land and the tribute system. The third communal land in Mani was cultivated on condition that he got the right to use the land. The idea of Ejido was overlapped with this communal land. In Mani today, the core area is surrounded by three forms of land and territory, fundo legal (legal sites or property), tierra de propiedad (land of property) and tierras ejidales (land of ejido). Fundo legal includes Solar (conventional dwelling compound) and Joca (3 to 4 month lease land). Ejido is a communal land and to sell it is prohibited by law. Ejido is confiscated if not cultivated for two years.