The authors report a diachronic investigation of cultural apprenticeship, c
reativity, and cognitive representation in a Zinacantec Maya community of C
hiapas, Mexico. Focusing on the culturally central domain of weaving, they
explore the implications of an ecocultural transition from agriculture to c
ommerce for learning and development. Their studies cover 24 years and expl
ore the implications of historical change in two generations of Zinacantec
Maya children. The first wave was studied in 1969 and 1970. The next genera
tion was studied in 1991 and 1993; it comprised mainly daughters and sons,
nieces and nephews, and godchildren of the first generation. The results sh
ow that in the space of a single generation, weaving apprenticeship moved f
rom a more interdependent to a more independent style of learning, woven te
xtiles changed from a small stock? of defined patterns to widely varied and
innovative patterns, and cognitive representation of woven patterns became
less detailed and more abstract.