Demographics of Oaxaca
- see also Indigenous people of Oaxaca
The state of
Demographically, Oaxaca stands out due to the high percentage of indigenous peoples.
Most indigenous in the state are either
Indigenous Groups
The largest indigenous group in the state are the Zapotecs at about 350,000 people or about 31% of the total indigenous population.[3][7][9] The Zapotec have an extremely long history in the Central Valleys region and unlike other indigenous groups, do not have a migration story. For them, they have always been here. Zapotecs have always called themselves Be'ena'a, which means The People Of The Clouds. Zapotec territory extends in and around the Central Valleys region of the state, around the capital city of Oaxaca. The Zapotec language has historically been and is still the most widely spoken in the state, with four dialects that correspond to the four subdivisions of these people: Central Valleys and Isthmus, the Sierra de Ixtlan, Villa Alta and Coapan.[5] Zapotec communities can be found in 67 municipalities. The various Zapotec dialects account for 64 of the total 173 still surviving forms of Oto-Manguean.[7]
The second largest group are the Mixtecs at just over 240,000 people or 27% of the indigenous population.
The
The
The Mixe people account for another ten percent of the indigenous population at just over 103,000 people.[3][9] The Mixe are an isolated group in the northeastern part of the state, close to the border of Veracruz. Their region includes 19 municipalities and 108 communities. The Mixes call themselves Ayuuk, which means The People. It is unknown where the Mixe migrated from, with some speculating from as far as Peru, but they arrived in waves from 1300 to 1533. They came into conflict with the Mixtecs and Zapotecs, but allied themselves with the Zapotecs against the Aztecs, then resisted the Spanish. The Mixe language has seven dialects and this group has more monolingual speakers than any other indigenous group.[7]
The Chatino people number at about 42,477 and live in southwestern Oaxaca. Their language has seven dialects and is part of the Oto-Manguean language group. It is believed that these were one of the first indigenous groups to inhabit what is now the state of Oaxaca. The Chatinos call themselves Kitse cha'tnio, which means Work of the Words. In ancient times, they were a military oriented group but the Mixtecs eventually defeated them some years before the arrival of the Spanish.[7]
The
The Huave people number 15,324.[11] and cover a large part of Oaxaca, mostly in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. While not definitively determined, they are considered to have come from Nicaragua or possibly Peru, arriving by sea. From the Isthmus area, the ancient Huave conquered a large expanse of Oaxacan territory, now called the Jalapa del Marques. In the 15th century, Aztec armies invaded both Huave and Zapotec lands, forcing both kingdoms to pay tribute. Weakened, the Huaves were pushed back towards the Isthmus by the Zapotecs, where their modern descendants are still found. Modern Huaves call themselves Mero ikooc, which means “the true us.”[7]
The Cuicatecos number at 12,128[11] and live in northwestern Oaxaca. Little is known about the history of these people because the Spanish destroyed many of the Mixtec and Zapotec maps and codices related to them. Archeological research speculates that they are descended from the Toltecs is arrived here after the fall of Tula in 1064. The fertile lands of the Cuicatlan River made this group a target for other groups, eventually forcing them to become a peripheral part of the Mixtecs. However, when the Aztecs arrived in 1456, the Cuicatecos formed an alliance with them.[7]
The Zoque, also called the Aiyuuk, are mostly located in Chiapas but a branch of them, numbering at about 10,000 lives in Oaxaca. Their language is closely related to the Mayan-Chique family. The Zoque call themselves O'deput, which means People of the Language. Many of their customs, social organizations, religion beliefs, and way of life were identical to those of the Mixe community, with whom they probably share a common origin in Central America.[7]
The
The
The
The
The Ixcatecos, which number 207,[11] are found only in Santa María de Ixcatlán in the north of the state. This is one of the most arid, eroded and poorest regions of Mexico. The Ixcatecos once occupied seven other areas but these were probably abandoned due to the lack of water and agricultural failure. Their territory is inaccessible, which allowed them to remain independent until the Aztecs finally overwhelmed them just the before the Spanish Conquest.[7]
The
There is also a small population of Nahuatl speaking peoples in the border area with Puebla. These are descendants of Aztec and other Nahua groups with invaded the area in the latter pre-Hispanic period.[5]
References
- INEGI. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- INEGI. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ INEGI. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ a b "The State of Oaxaca". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-607-400-233-1.
- ^ UNAM: 67–86. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 14, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Schmal, John P. (2006). "Oaxaca: A Land of Diversity". Houston, TX: Houston Institute for Culture. http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/oaxaca.html. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Oaxaca, Lonely Planet, Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Perfil Sociodemografico" [Socio-demographic profile]. ) Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Estado de Oaxaca (in Spanish). Mexico: Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal. 2009. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Mosaico Étnico" (in Spanish). Oaxaca: Government of Oaxaca. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Schmal, John P. (January 28, 2007). "Oaxaca: Land of Diversity". Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.