The Political and social organization of the Zapotecs Was closely related to religion, economics, and social organization.
The term" Zapotec "Is derived from Nahuatl, a language native to the Aztecs, which has survived to this day thanks to the small Aboriginal groups that still speak it. In Nahuatl The term is Tsapotecatl , Which refers to the fruit known in Mexico as Zapote, gives the name to these aborigines.
Monte alban
The Zapotec Are the largest aboriginal group of Mexican federative entity of Oaxaca, which exist since the pre-Hispanic period.
Before the discovery of America, this aboriginal community succeeded in establishing a developed state. In fact, the ruins of Monte Alban, Mitla and Yagul reveal the existence of an advanced Zapotec society prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
However, from the sixteenth century, Europeans invaded the Zapotecan territories to extract the natural wealth. In spite of this, this community was not as affected as others (the Maya and the Aztecs, for example) in which the Spanish invasion had a rather military character
Following are some characteristics of the political and social organization of this Aboriginal group, referring to both pre-Hispanic and contemporary elements.
Political organization of the Zapotecs
The policy of the Zapotecs, as well as that of other Mesoamerican cultures , Was based on the development of wars that allowed them to gain new territories.
Likewise, through these wars, they captured enemies that later would be submitted to sacrifices in the religious ceremonies.
Between the years 300 and 900, the policy of the Zapotecs revolved around Monte Albán, the metropolis in which all the organizations of the State were.
Between the years 900 and 1400, the Zapotecs were organized in city-states that competed with each other favoring the progress of the community.
With the arrival of the Spaniards, the Zapotec territories were invaded; Despite this, they managed to maintain their autonomy relatively.
At present, the political organization of the Zapotecs is based on the system of charges. The positions are positions in the government (judges, officers, mayors) that can be occupied by any competent citizen, male or female (although in very few cases women are chosen for these positions).
Social organization
Marriage
Zapotec communities practice inbreeding, which means that members of a family group marry other members of the same family group, although it is not prohibited to form a family with members of other families.
They distinguish two types of marriages: free union, which follows the common law of the Zapotecs, and marriage by the Catholic Church. The Church prohibits divorce, but sometimes couples simply separate and freely join other individuals.
Patriarchy
Zapotec communities are organized through the patriarchal system, which means that the center of the community is man. Very few tribes are organized matriarchally.
The family
Zapotee favors extensive families (made up of parents, children, grandparents, uncles and cousins) rather than nuclear ones. In case a family is nuclear (composed only by parents and children), this usually lives near the rest of the family.
Heritage
The Zapotec rule is that in the event of the death of the parents, the inheritance is divided equally among all the children.
However, it is often the case that the youngest child benefits more than the other children because of the fact that he still lived with his parents when they died.
Added to this, male offspring usually inherit more goods than female offspring, since it is a patriarchal society.
For their part, land can be inherited even before the death of the parents: when one of the children marries and when the parents are so old that they can not work the land.
Social division
The Zapotec society is divided into three groups: the common people, the priests and the nobility.
Each of the Zapotec communities has a head or group head who is in charge of controlling the affairs of their tribe.
Religion
The Zapotecs of the pre-Hispanic period considered that the universe was surrounded by four elements, each of a specific color and with certain supernatural attributes.
Likewise, the Zapotecs associated the gods with natural elements, such as the sun, rain, tides, among others. Moreover, in this period, time was considered to be cyclic and non-linear.
At present, the Zapotecs are partially following Catholic doctrine, which has been syncretized with pre-Hispanic beliefs.
The Current beliefs Of the Zapotecs include:
- The veneration of Jesus Christ (both the child and the adult).
- The belief in guardian animals (called Tones ). During birth, each person acquires a tone , Which can be any creature; It is considered that this creature gives the individual some of its natural characteristics (strength, speed, agility, intelligence, among others).
- The existence of witches and witches and demons with masculine and feminine forms.
In addition to Catholic priests, Zapotec societies have certain priests who are responsible for guiding spiritual rituals.
These priests are called"sorcerers"and are responsible for conducting ceremonies, such as: marriages, funerals, baptisms, moving to a new house, spiritual cleansing, among others.
Ceremonies
The Zapotecs of the pre-Hispanic period performed a series of rituals intended to please the gods.
These ceremonies included blood offerings and human and animal sacrifices. Often, warriors captured from other tribes were offered in return for the favor of the gods to obtain good harvests, so that the period of drought, among others, would end.
Today's Zapotec ceremonies are more inclined towards events that are part of the cycle of life, such as baptisms, communions, weddings, and funerals.
Two of the most relevant ceremonies are the one that takes place on All Saints Day and the one that takes place on the day of the Holy Patron of each community.
References
- Zapotec facts, information, pictures. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from encyclopedia.com
- Reconstructing Maya and Zapotec Political Organization. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from angelfire.com
- Zapotec on the Move. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from jstor.org
- Zapotec Government. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from zapotec411.tripod.com
- Zapotec. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from prezi.com
- The Zapotec and the Mixtec. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from www.tomzap.com
- Zapotec peoples. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
- Zapotec Civilization. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from ancient.eu
- Zapotecs and Monte Albán. Retrieved on July 4, 2017, from galegroup.com