Indigenous people of Oaxaca
The Indigenous people of Oaxaca are descendants of the inhabitants of what is now the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, who were present before the Spanish invasion. Several cultures flourished in the ancient region of Oaxaca from as far back as 2000 BC, of whom the Zapotecs and Mixtecs were perhaps the most advanced, with complex social organization and sophisticated arts.[1]
According to the
Speakers of each language
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Oaxaca_indigenous_people.svg/400px-Oaxaca_indigenous_people.svg.png)
The 16 groups and the number of speakers of their languages according to the 2005 census are:
Of these, 477,788 are non-Spanish monolingual.[3] The majority of people speak languages of the
Background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/British_Museum_Zapotec_funerary_urn_1.jpg/220px-British_Museum_Zapotec_funerary_urn_1.jpg)
The Oaxaca region is at the convergence of the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Oaxaca_ocho_venado.png/220px-Oaxaca_ocho_venado.png)
Excavations have shown that the region has had a settled population for at least 4,000 years. In the pre-Columbian period, the Zapotec developed an advanced civilization centered in Monte Albán in the central valley, which lasted between 300 BC and 700 AD. The state was expansionist, and extended its authority to the north, west, and southwest.[5]
Further to the west, Mixtec settlements have been dated back to 1500 BC, and the Mixtec also developed advanced city states such as Tilantongo and Tututepec. The Mixtec were known for their exceptional mastery of jewelry, in which gold and turquoise figure prominently. Around 1250 AD the Aztecs began pushing down from the North. Mixtec groups in turn invaded the Valley of Oaxaca and established the
The Aztec empire disintegrated after the fall of their capital of Tenochtitlan to the Spanish in August 1521. The Spanish crown granted Oaxaca to the conquistador Hernán Cortés as his prize.[7] The Spanish introduced new food such as wheat and sugar cane and new methods of cultivation. Diseases introduced by the Spanish greatly diminished the native population of Oaxaca, as did the insatiable appetite for gold, which led more and more Oaxacans into the dangerous mines.[citation needed]
Over the 300 years of colonialism, many aspects of life became Europeanized. Important government positions were filled by the Spanish and their descendants, and later by elite mestizos, persons of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. However, Oaxaca remained largely an agriculture-based economy with little development throughout the colonial period, following Mexican independence in 1821 and following the revolution of 1910.[citation needed] By the 1980s and 1990s, Oaxaca was one of Mexico's poorest states. The state, and the indigenous people in particular, had some of the nation's highest rates of illiteracy, malnutrition, and infant mortality.[8]
Oto-Manguean
The
Zapotecan group
Zapotec
The
There are four basic groups of Zapotecs: the istmeños, who live in the southern
Chatino
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Ni%C3%B1os_chatinos.jpg/220px-Ni%C3%B1os_chatinos.jpg)
Chatino communities are located in the southeastern region of Oaxaca. Speakers of Chatino languages are numbered around 23,000 (Ethnologue surveys), but ethnic Chatinos may number many more. They call themselves Kitse Cha'tño and their language Cha'tña. Chatino populations are found in the following
The region that the Chatinos inhabit is rich in natural resources. Traditionally many Chatino people have been involved in agriculture which depends very much on the climate, so some Chatinos have had to emigrate to the corners of the district of Juquila to work on coffee plantations. Most Chatino communities have public services, and there are runways for airports in many municipalities. Federal bilingual schools, high schools, and telesecundarias (distance education programs for secondary and high school students) have been established.[citation needed]
The traditional authorities of this people are organized in a system based on civil and religious roles, in which advice from elders is treated as the greatest authority. They believe in the Holy Grandmother, the Holy Father Sun, the Holy Mother Earth, and the Holy Mother Moon. In addition, they worship the deities of water, wind, rain, the mountain, and fire.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Ni%C3%B1os_mazatecos.jpg/220px-Ni%C3%B1os_mazatecos.jpg)
Popolocan group
Mazatec
The
The
Chocho
The
The terrain of the Chocho country is mountainous with low rainfall, hot summers and cold winters. Traditional houses have wood frames with walls made from the stem of the maguey plant, and roofs of palm or maguey leaves. The main source of cash comes from weaving palm-leaf hats, which is done in caves to prevent the leaves from drying out. The staple Chocho diet is maize supplemented with beans, chiles and fruits. They may eat goat meat on Sundays, and chicken or turkey during festivals.[15] Coixtlahuaca was a thriving Chocho and Ixtatec market until about 1900, but since then many people have had move away due to loss of topsoil to erosion.[13]
Ixcatec
Popoloco
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Mujerpopoloca.jpg/220px-Mujerpopoloca.jpg)
The name "Popoloco" is a
Amuzgo-Mixtecan group
Mixtec
The
Amuzgo
Four variants of Amuzgo are officially recognized by the governmental agency, the Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas (INALI).[21]
Cuicatec
The
Triqui
The
Triqui people live in a mountainous region, called "La mixteca baja", in the Southwest part of Oaxaca. The elevation within the Triqui region varies between 1,500 – 3,000 meters (4,921 – 9,843 feet). This high elevation permits low-lying cumulus clouds to envelop entire towns during the afternoons and evenings.
Like many other southern Mexicans, many Triqui men travel to
Tacuate
As of 1992, there were about 6,000 speakers of Tacuate, a
Chinantec
The Chinantecs live in Oaxaca and
Mixe–Zoque family
People who speak languages of the
. It has been speculated that they may be descendants of theMixe
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/San_jose_chinantequilla.jpg/220px-San_jose_chinantequilla.jpg)
The
Zoque
The
In the pre-
Other languages
Huave
The
Chontal
Oaxacan Chontal, also called Tequistlatecan, consists of two related but mutually unintelligible languages, Huamelultec (Lowland Oaxaca Chontal), and Highland Oaxaca Chontal. There has been speculation that the languages may be part of the
The name "Chontal" comes from the Nahuatl, meaning "foreigner" or "foreign", and is also applied to an unrelated language of Tabasco. The Chontal may have lived in the Villa Alta region to the east up to around 300 AD, but moved westward under pressure from the Mixes and moved to their present location in the 15th century due to Zapotec aggression.[36]Lowland Chontal is mostly spoken around
As of 1990, about 3,600 spoke highland or Sierra Chontal.[37] The speakers of this language live in the districts of
See also
- Indigenous peoples in Mexico
- Mixteca Alta Formative Project
References
- ISBN 968-6434-92-5.
- National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ Schmal, John P. (January 28, 2007). "Oaxaca: Land of Diversity". Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
- ^ Schmal, John (2004). "The Hispanic Experience – Indigenous Identity in Mexico". Houston Institute for Culture. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
- PMID 14506292.
- ^ "Los Mixtecos". México Desconocido (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ "Hernando Cortes". NNDB. Soylent Communications. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ Mike Allbutt. "Oaxaca: The Southern Indigenous State". Archived from the original on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
- ^ e.g. see the documentary film Blossoms of Fire
- ^ CDI (2004–2007).
- ^ Schaefer, C, (2006) Grandmothers Council the World: wise women elders offer their vision for our planet. Trumpeter Books 978-1-59030-293-4 page 2
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59880-088-3.
- ^ "Chocholtec: A language of Mexico". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ "Chocho". Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- OCLC 8034800.
- ^ "Quedan ocho hablantes de "xwja" o "ixcateco" en comunidad oaxaqueña". Fundación Telefónica. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ John P. Schmal (January 28, 2007). "Oaxaca: Land of Diversity". LatinoLA. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Oto-Manguean, Popolocan, Chocho-Popolocan". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ 2005 census; http://www.inegi.org.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t%3Dmlen10%26c%3D3337. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Catálogo de las lenguas indígenas nacionales: Variantes lingüísticas de México con sus autodenominaciones y referencias geoestadísticas. "Variantes lingüísticas de la agrupación zapoteco". Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2013-07-17..
- ^ Website of the Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas, http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=660 Archived 2019-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 28 July 2008.
- ^ Takahashi, Masako. Mexican Textiles: Spirit and Style. Chronicle Books. 2003.
- ^ Murphy, Arthur D., Stepick, Alex. Social Inequality in Oaxaca: A History of Resistance and Change. Temple University Press. 1991
- . 2006
- ^ "Mixtec, Santa María Zacatepec". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Tacuate". visiteoaxaca.com. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Chinantecan Family". Instituto Lingüístico de Verano. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
- ^ Wichmann, Søren; Dmitri Beliaev; Albert Davletshin (September 2008). "Posibles correlaciones lingüísticas y arqueológicas involucrando a los olmecas" (PDF). Proceedings of the Mesa Redonda Olmeca: Balance y Perspectivas, Museo Nacional de Antropología, México City, March 10–12, 2005. (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- Instituto Nacional Indigenista "Monografías de los Pueblos Indígenas de México". Archived from the originalon September 26, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2010..
- ^ "Zoques de Oaxaca". Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas. Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Huaves of Oaxaca". Mexican Textiles. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Huavean". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Huave". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ a b "Chontal Language". DoBeS Archive. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ a b "Chontales". Go Oaxaco. Retrieved 2010-07-21. [dead link]
- ^ "Chontal, Highland Oaxaca". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2010-07-21.