Zapotec culture history, location and characteristics

The Zapotec culture is one of the most important and ancient pre-Columbian civilizations. Its period of greatest expansion occurred between the years 500 a. C and 900 d. C. He settled in the lands of the present Valley of Oaxaca and the states of Guerrero and Puebla.

There are no known legends or data that reveal their migration to the place of settlement where they developed, unlike the case of other Mesoamerican indigenous peoples..

The Zapotec culture believed in their direct origin from heaven, which is why they called themselves "People of the clouds", which also referred to its location in the highlands. 

The Zapotec name derives from the Nahuatl language Tzapotecatl which means "People of the sapote tree".

Next we will see a little more in depth the characteristics and contributions of the Zapotec culture.

Characteristics of the Zapotec culture

Among the general characteristics of the Zapotec culture is the direct influence they received from olmec, the first Mesoamerican civilization, in relation to art, architecture and religion.

With regard to art, the use of precious stones is a characteristic they inherited from the Olmecs; in architecture, the pyramidal construction; in terms of religion, the fact of being polytheists, although they had a main god: Xipe Totec, related to agriculture, disease and spring.

Among his other gods They were: Tlatlahuaqui (God of the Sun), Pitao Cozobi (God of Corn), Coqui Bezelao (God of the Dead), Quetzalcóatl (God of the Winds), Pitao Cocijo (God of Rain and Storm), Xonaxi Quecuya (God Earthquakes).

They worshiped their ancestors and believed in an underground paradise where the ancestors rested.

His social organization It was hierarchical and pyramidal like this:

• Rulers: It was the most powerful sector and was made up of the priests who were attributed divine powers. 
• Elite: high warriors, chieftains and government officials
• Merchants: due to their activities as merchants, they had prestige and differentiated themselves from the rest.
• Craftsmen: here was the bulk of the population, among them were farmers, potters, weavers.
• Slaves: made up of prisoners of war or criminals. They were used for heavy work and sacrifices to the gods.

Zapotec culturewas characterized by its brave warriors, since every man in the sectors described was obliged to go to war.

In the year 800 a. C. the power of the capital of Monte Alban declined, the cause is not known, there are no traces of violence. The city of Mitla became the main center.

During the Spanish conquest the pyramidal structure of the Zapotec culture was reduced to become peasants who paid taxes.. At present, some Zapotecs inhabit rural areas of Mexico and their culture is a complex mixture of modernity with Mexican, Spanish colonial and pre-Hispanic characteristics..

The most famous Zapotec today was Benito Juárez, president of Mexico from 1858 to 1872.

The economy of the Zapotec culture was based on the cultivation of products such as corn, beans, squash, coffee, wheat and sugar cane, hunting, fishing and the gathering of wild fruits.

They developed innovative practices such as artificial terraces with cultivation on stepped slopes of the valleys to prevent the rain from washing away their crops. These terraces had an irrigation system to feed on natural springs.

Their advances allowed them to supply both internally and externally, so they traded with neighboring towns both the products of their crops and handicrafts: textiles and ceramics.

Between customs Of the Zapotec culture, its festivities that persist to this day stand out:

• The day of the Dead: one of the religious celebrations of the Zapotecs that consisted of making offerings to the gods as a necessary act to move to the afterlife. It was performed with music and dance. It was a joyful party and it is still an emblematic Mexican party.
• The Guelaguetza: Cults were held to different deities, such as the Virgen del Carmen, in the center of Oaxaca. It remains one of the most prominent festivals in the state of Oaxaca, also called "Monday party on the hill.".
• The dance of the pen: a traditional dance that was part of the Guelaguetza in order to represent the conquest of the central valleys by the Spanish.

His language It was the macrolanguage, a language made up of several different dialects, resulting from its multiple commercial relationships with the Olmecs, Teotihuacans and Mayans.

They developed a system of writing own based on hieroglyphs and other symbols that they carved on stones, buildings and tombs. In addition, they had a numerical system represented by points and bars that they diagrammed in a 260-day calendar that was the basis of the Aztec and Mayan calendars..

Location of the Zapotec culture

Zapotec culture It was located in the Valley of Oaxaca, two hundred kilometers south of Mexico City.

Its capital was Monte Albán, ten kilometers from the city of Oaxaca, a strategic place from which the central valleys could be seen. Its stepped pyramid-shaped structures were intended as sacred buildings, tombs and markets. 

They developed several settlements that were divided into three groups: the valley, the highlands and the south. They managed to dominate these lands through close commercial ties with the Olmecs, military conquest and the capture of rulers..

Contributions of Zapotec culture

Among the main contributions to later civilizations are:

• Corn as the main product: Since pre-Hispanic times, corn has been fundamental in Mesoamerican culture, being part of the worldview and way of life of the inhabitants of the region..

• Advanced irrigation system: We remember the development of terraces of stepped cultivation on the slopes of the valleys to which they integrated irrigation systems from the springs, which allowed their crops not to be devastated by the rain. System still used in crops.

• Creating your own writing system based on hieroglyphs and other symbols.

• Creating a calendar with the layout of 260 days that make up its year and that serves as the basis for the Mayan and Aztec calendars.

• Creating a number system of dots and bars.

As you can see, the Zapotec culture is a civilization with a rich history that lasts to this day. If you like the stories of the ancestral peoples you may want to read: 10 traditions of the most well-known Mayans.