Mixe 3356446 215495887 2008-05-28T13:29:14Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Infobox ethnic group| |group=Mixe(Mije)<BR>'''''Ayüükjä'äy''''' |image=[[Image:Mixes.png|249px]] |caption=The Sierra Mixe (pink) within Oaxaca, Mexico |poptime=~90,000 |popplace=[[Mexico]] ([[Oaxaca]]) |rels=[[Roman Catholic]], and Traditional religion |langs=[[Mixe languages|Mixe]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], |related=[[Zoque]]s}} {{for|the indigenous language|Mixe languages}} The '''Mixe''' or '''Mije''' (always pronounced ['mihe] ) is an [[Indigenous peoples of Mexico|indigenous]] group inhabiting the eastern highlands of the [[Mexican state]] of [[Oaxaca]]. They speak the [[Mixe languages]] which are classified in the [[Mixe-Zoque languages|Mixe-Zoque]] [[language family|family]], and are more culturally conservative than other indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this day. A population figure of 90,000 speakers of Mixe were estimated by [[SIL international]] in [[1993]]. The Mixe name for themselves is ''ayüükj'ä'äy'' meaning "people who speak the mountain language"<ref>According to the Monography about the Mixes at the official website of the [[Instituto Nacional Indigenista]] [http://www.cdi.gob.mx/ini/monografias/mixes.html].</ref> The word "Mixe" itself is probably derived from the [[Nahuatl]] word for cloud: ''mīxtli''. ==Geography== The region where the Mixe live is known as the [[Sierra Mixe]] and is located north east of the city of [[Oaxaca, Oaxaca|Oaxaca]], bordering on the [[Valley of Oaxaca]] to the southwest, the lowlands of [[Tehuantepec]] to the east, and the highlands of Choapam and the state of [[Veracruz]] to the north. The rugged and remote area is part the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]]. The western Mixe live in a mountainous temperate highland zone with the largest Mixe centers in San Pedro and Pablo Ayutla (in Mixe called ''Tu'ukyom''<ref>The names of in the Mixe languages are taken from Lipp,1991</ref>), Tlahuitoltepec (''{{IPA|Xemgɨxp}}'') and [[Totontepec Villa de Morelos|Totontepec]] (''{{IPA|Añkɨwam}}''). Here at elevations above 1800 meters [[maize]], [[beans]], [[potato]]es, and [[Squash (plant)|squash]] is produced. The midland Mixe are centered around Zacatepec (''{{IPA|Mɨɨygɨxy}}'') and Juquila (''{{IPA|Kɨngɨ'ɨm}}''), in this region [[coffee]] and [[chili pepper]]s are produced. The eastern Mixe live near the city Matías Romero in the tropical lowlands of the [[Isthmus of Tehuantepec]], here, at elevations from 35 to 1000 meters tropical crops such as [[banana]]s and [[plantain]]s and [[sugar cane]] is produced. The Mixe region borders on regions inhabited by [[Zapotec people|Zapotec]]s and [[Chinantec]]s, with whom the Mixe have some contact. The Mixe region is watered by three large rivers the [[Papaloapan River|Papaloapan]], the [[Coatzacoalcos River|Coatzacoalcos]] and the [[Tehuantepec River|Tehuantepec]]. Three peaks in the Sierra Mixe reach heights above 3300 meters: at Cempoaltepetl (in Mixe ''Ipxyukp'' "the Mountain of twenty heads"), Cerro Blanco and Cerro Malinche. [[Image:Sierramixes.png|500px|left|thumb|The major towns of the Mixe Region]] ==History== The forefathers of the Mixe and Zoque peoples are thought to have been the [[Olmec]]s, the first high civilization of [[Mesoamerica]]<ref>First proposed in {{cite journal |author ={{aut|Campbell, Lyle}} |authorlink=Lyle Campbell |coauthors= and {{aut|[[Terrence Kaufman]]}} |year=1976 |title=A Linguistic Look at the Olmec |journal=American Antiquity |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=pp.80–89 |doi=10.2307/279044}}</ref> . However the Mixes themselves do not associate themselves with the Olmec, but according to Mixe legend the forefathers of the Mixes came from the [[South America]]n [[Andes]] and arrived in Mexico by boat. In the Mixe migration myth they came to settle at the holy mountain Cempoaltepetl&mdash;where led by the legendary king Condoy they built a successful kingdom. Almost nothing is known about the Mixes in prehispanic times as there are very few archeological remains in the Mixe area and written sources are equally scarce. It is known that neither the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]] kingdom of [[Zaachila]] nor the [[Aztec]] empire succeeded in subduing the Mixes completely. After the Spanish conquest of central Mexico and the valley of Oaxaca a Spanish force under the command of Diego Sandoval was sent north to the Sierra Mixe to subdue the Mixes and [[Chinantec]]s of that region. The expedition failed and the Mixes remained unconquered. [[Hernán Cortés]] even mentions in his letters to the King of Spain that the provinces of the Zapotecs and the Mixes were the only ones to remain unconquered. :::"''In the whole territory, from one sea to the other, the natives serve without complaint, save for two provinces which lie between those of [[Tehuantepec|Teguantepeque]], [[Chinantla|Chinanta]], [[Oaxaca|Guaxaca]] and [[Coatzacoalcos|Guazacualco]], in the middle of all four; the people of these two provinces are called Zapotecas and Mixes. Their land is so rocky that it cannot be crossed even on foot, for I have twice sent people to conquer them, who were unable to do so because of the roughness of the terrain, and because the warriors are very fierce and well armed''" Hernán Cortés, Fourth Letter to King Charles V<ref>Page 318 ''Letters from Mexico'' translated by Anthony Pagden (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.) ISBN 0300090943</ref> In 1555 the first peaceful contact between Spaniards and Mixes were undertaken when the [[Dominican order]] began the spiritual conquest of the Mixes. They built churches and missions in Juquila, Totontepec and Quetzaltepec. The Mixes still pride themselves of never having been conquered. ==Culture== The Mixe largely live from subsistence agriculture of maize, beans, squash and potatoes, complementing with hunting of small game and fishing on the smaller rivers and streams. However, in the past century the midland Mixe have begun to commercialize coffee, usually as small producers who sell their roasted beans to buyers from outside the Mixe area. The Mixe are well known in Oaxaca for their large [[banda music|brass band]]s - every Mixe town has a band that performs in their local festivals. In some towns traditional weaving is practiced on [[Loom#Backstrap looms|backstrap looms]] whereas other towns mainly produce [[pottery|ceramics]]. ===Language=== {{main|Mixe languages}} The Mixe language is a language of the Mixean branch of the [[Mixe-Zoquean languages|Mixe-Zoque]] linguistic family. Its closest relatives are [[Sayula Popoluca]] and [[Oluta Popoluca]] spoken in [[Veracruz]]. The language is [[Polysynthetic languages|polysynthetic]], [[ergative-absolutive language|ergative]] and employs a [[Direct-inverse language|direct/inverse]] system for participant reference. It can be subdivided into three dialect areas: Highland Mixe (northern Highland spoken around Totontepec and Southern Highland spoken around Tlahuitoltepec, Ayutla and Tamazulapan), Midland Mixe (spoken around Juquila and Zacatepec) and Lowland Mixe (spoken around Guichicovi).<ref>Wichmann, Søren, 1995, The Relationship Among the Mixe-Zoquean Languages of Mexico. University of Utah Press. Salt Lake City. ISBN 0-87480-487-6</ref> The Mixe languages are poorly documented and many variants are not documented at all. Best documented are the dialects of Totontepec,<ref>Schoenhals, Alvin & Louise Schoenhals, 1965, Vocabulario Mixe de Totontepec, Serie de Vocabularios Indigénas "Mariano Silva y Aceves" Num. 14. SIL, Mexico, D.F.</ref> Ayutla and Coatlán<ref>Hoogshagen, Searle & Hilda Halloran Hoogshagen, 1993, Diccionario Mixe de Coatlán, Serie de Vocabularios Indigénas "Mariano Silva y Aceves" Num. 32. SIL, Mexico, D.F.</ref> for which dictionaries and small grammars have been published by [[SIL international]]. ===Social structure=== Apart from the nuclear family an important part of Mixe social structure is the [[cargo system]] which is an integrated part of Mixe society. In the cargo system a number of civic and religious offices called "cargos" rotate among the men of each village. Cargoholders assume responsibilities of public interest such as arranging and paying for certain religious celebrations, caring for religious images, or upholding. A cargo is unpaid and held for a year; some cargoes include rather large financial obligations to the cargoholder. Persons who have held many cargoes are respected and the few persons who have held all possible cargoes in the community are part of a council of elders. With the conversion of many Mixes to different [[Protestant]] branches the functionality of the cargo system has been challenged in many towns resulting in social tension.<ref>p.25 Frank J Lipp, 1991, The Mixe of Oaxaca: Religion, ritual and healing, University of Texas Press</ref> ===Religion=== Mixe religion is largely a [[syncretism|syncretic]] blend of [[Roman Catholicism]] together with traditions informed by their indigenous [[Mesoamerican religion|Mesoamerican religious beliefs]]. For most Mixe there is no contradiction between the tenets of Catholicism and their adherence to native [[belief system]]s and ritual practices. In addition to and in modification of the Catholic system, the Mixe maintain a [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]] of gods representing certain aspects. These include: *''Poj 'Enee'' ("Thunder wind"), a fertility and rain god who is also the protector of Mixe towns *''Naaxwiiñ'' ("Earth Surface"), an earth and fertility goddess *''Yuuk'', the "owner of the animals" and the deity of wild animals and the hunt *''{{IPA|Hɨgɨñ}}'', a goddess of rivers and springs, venerated by fishermen *''{{IPA|Mɨjku}}'', a god of wealth, luck, hurricanes, death and the underworld, who is often equated with the Catholic [[devil]].<ref>Frank J Lipp, 1991, The Mixe of Oaxaca: Religion, ritual and healing, University of Texas Press</ref> The Mixe are among the few contemporary indigenous communities<ref>The [[K'iche']] Maya of Guatemala are another notable indigenous group retaining knowledge and use of this calendar.</ref> of Mesoamerica to still use the [[Mesoamerican calendars|260-day ritual calendar]] which was in use throughout Mesoamerica in [[pre-Columbian]] times.<ref>See also the [[Maya civilization|Maya]] version of the 260-day calendar, the ''[[tzolk'in]]'', and the [[Aztec]]'s ''[[tonalpohualli]]''.</ref> The Mixe use the ritual calendar for divination, planning of rituals and in order to determine the names given to children. Mixes have two names: a calendrical name in the Mixe language given at birth and a Spanish-Catholic name given at baptism. [[Nagualism]] also forms a part of Mixe religious beliefs: the Mixe believe that every person is born simultaneously with an animal which becomes their ''Ts'ok'' ([[Nahual]]/animal counterpart) - the animal carries part of the human's soul and the two beings will share a common destiny. ==References== <div class="references-small"><references/></div> ==External links== *[http://www.laneta.apc.org/rci/ser/ Servicios del Pueblo Mixe - SER Mixe] *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10408a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia article] *[http://www.mexicantextiles.com/grouppages/mixe1.html Short description of Mixe culture and pictures of Mixe weaving] *[http://www.cdi.gob.mx/ini/monografias/mixes.html CDI information about the Mixes in Spanish] [[Category:Ethnic groups in Mexico]] [[Category:Indigenous peoples in Mexico]] [[Category:Indigenous peoples of Central America]] [[Category:Mesoamerican cultures]] [[ca:Mixe]] [[es:Mixe]] [[nl:Mixe (volk)]] [[ja:ミヘー]]