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Zapotec Indians
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The Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan are Native Americans for whom weaving is not only their livelihood, but ... an outlet for artistic expression that provides a sense of individual pride. What's more, in Teotitlan, weaving is intimately tied to the family unit, where everyone participates in the production process. The older women wash, card and spin the wool into the fine diameter yarns used in the best contemporary Zapotec weavings. Sons and daughters begin weaving in their teenage years under the tutelage of their fathers who created the designs and dyes for the unique palette that distinguishes the family's work. Because weaving is so tied to the family unit, the success of their weaving directly contributes to the maintenance of their distinctive traditions and culture. Finally, the quality of these hand-crafted textiles is testimony to the Zapotec Indians' traditional culture and family cohesion and serves as a reminder of the level of skill possessed by master craftsman- a level that has by-and-large been lost to the steady march of "progress" in the United States today.
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The Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca are Native Americans for whom weaving is an outlet for artistic expression, which provides a sense of individual pride. In Teotitlan, weaving is intimately tied to the family unit, where everyone participates in the production process. The older women wash, card and spin the wool into the fine diameter yarns used in the best contemporary Zapotec weavings. Sons and daughters begin weaving in their teenage years under the tutelage of their father.
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The Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan del Valle have nice homes with televisions. Many of them have refrigerators to keep food cold. They drive good cars. Their village welcomes travellers from all over the world. These travellers can stay in fine hotels and eat fine foods. Life is good for the Zapotec people.
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The Zapotec Indians have always called themselves Be'ena'a, which means The People. The implication of this terminology is that the Zapotecs believe that they are "The True People" or "The people of this place." Unlike many other Mesoamerican Indians groups, the Zapotecs have no legend of migration from another land. Instead, their legends claim that their ancestors emerged from the earth or from caves, or that they turned from trees or jaguars into people. It is, therefore, not surprising that they would refer to themselves as the rightful original inhabitants of their lands.
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The Zapotec Indians built temples atop Monte Alban to house their priests and worship their gods. Huge stones were somehow transported from Etla to build the pyramids at Monte Alban some 15 kilometers away. It took them at least 500 years to build the pre-classical period. Between 500 and 700 BCE the capitol of Oaxaca was moved to Monte Alban. During its peak, 30,000 people were living there in the largest settlement of Oaxaca.
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Politically and militarily, the Zapotec Indians became dominant in the area around 200 B.C., extending their political and economic influence into the coastal regions and establishing valuable trading links with the Mayans to the south. Sometime between the third and eighth centuries A.D., the Zapotec culture peaked. However, soon after, the Mixtecs began to dominate the region, displacing the Zapotecs in many areas.
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Zapotec Indians