| Mixteco |
Articles about Mixtec |
Information AboutMixteco |
|
The Mixtec (or '''Mixteca''') are an indigenous Mesoamerica n people inhabiting the Mexican State of Oaxaca . The Mixtecan Languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean linguistic family. The term Mixtec (''Mixteco'' in Spanish) comes from the Aztec word of Mixtecapan, or place of the cloud-people. The area in which Mixtec is spoken is known as the ''Mixteca''. The Mixtecs call themselves ''ñuu savi'', ''ñuu djau'', ''ñuu davi'', ''naa savi'', etc., depending on the local variant of their language, the ''Sa'an Davi'', ''Da'an Davi'' or ''Tu'un Savi''. OVERVIEW In Pre-Columbian times, the Mixtec were one of the major civilizations of Mesoamerica . Important ancient centres of the Mixtec include the ancient capital of Tilantongo , as well as the sites of Achiutla, Cuilapan, Huamelupan, Mitla , Tlaxiaco, Tututepec , Juxtlahuaca, and Yucuñudahui. The Mixtec also made major constructions at the ancient city of Monte Albán (which had originated as a Zapotec city before the Mixtec gained control of it). The work of Mixtec artisans who produced work in Stone , Wood , and Metal were well regarded throughout ancient Mesoamerica. The Mixtec were conquered by the Aztec Emperor Ahuitzotl about 30 years before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistador es. They put up a fierce and bloody resistance to Spanish rule until they were subdued by the Spanish and their central Mexican allies led by Pedro De Alvarado . GEOGRAPHY The Mixtec area, both historically and currently, corresponds roughly to the western half of the state of ; the ''Mixteca Baja'' or Lowland Mixtec living to the north and west of these highlands, and the ''Mixteca de la Costa'' or Coastal Mixtec living in the southern plains and the coast of the Pacific Ocean . For most of Mixtec history the Mixteca Alta was the dominant political force, with the capitals of the Mixtec nation located in the central highlands. The valley of Oaxaca itself was often a disputed border region, sometimes dominated by the Mixtec and sometimes by the neighboring people to the east, the Zapotec. An ancient Coixtlahuaca Basin cave site known as the Colossal Natural Bridge is an important sacred place for the Mixtec. LANGUAGE & CODICES The Mixtecan Languages (in Their Many Variants) were estimated to be spoken by about 300,000 people at the end of the 20th Century , although the majority of Mixtec speakers also had at least a working knowledge of the Spanish Language . Some Mixtecan languages are called by names other than Mixtec, particularly Cuicatec (Cuicateco), and Triqui (or Trique). ]] The Mixtec are well-known in the anthropological world for their Codices, or phonetic pictures in which they wrote their history and genealogies in deerskin in the "fold-book" form. The best known story of the Mixtec Codices is that of Lord Eight Deer , named after the day in which he was born, whose personal name is Jaguar Claw , and whose epic history is related in several codices, including the Codex Bodley and Codex Zouche-Nuttall . He successfully conquered and united most of the Mixteca region. FURTHER READING
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|