Priority was given to native men born in the village, putting the land of woman and those born out of wedlock in altercation.
Incidents of community boundaries being at stake were a very relevant concern of this time. In the winter of 1797-98, the village of Ixil encountered a typhus epidemic. Amidst all of the grieved deaths, crown officials denied the natives custom of burying the dead within the church grounds in hopes of defeating the epidemic. A physician appointed by Spanish authorities attempted to make the victims who fell ill of the epidemic to be buried outside of village gates. Outraged by their command, the people of this village disregarded these demands. As stated in Silverblatt's article, "Alvis Dunns's stunning history of how a Maya village, led by a group of seventy-three women, laid siege to the community church and held government and religious authorities hostage points to another gendered lesson in the making of community boundaries" (640). The strength of this village continued their tradition, and it became a stamp of native identity, and an imperative step in the continuation of their community's culture.
The natives were not always as successful as in the story above with the involvement of the Spanish disturbing the culture of the indigenous. Over time, the criterion of a full community member was reduced. This included many widows, leaving many with lost ethnic identities. This caused a lot of people to migrate to Mexico City. As explained in Silverblatt's article, "Native woman, as members of indigenous communities, enjoyed rights - or at least identities – as Indians; they forfeited both by migrating to Mexico City" (641). All people not of pure Spanish descent were then referred to as castas, or plebe. Causing ethnic loyalties to eventually deteriorate. Although, the understandings of social identities are limited by sources, causing a sense of unknown.