The Tzotzil are an indigenous Maya people of the central Chiapas highlands in southern Mexico. As of
The Tzotzil are an indigenous Maya people of the central Chiapas highlands in southern Mexico. As of 2000, they numbered about 298,000. The municipalities with largest Tzotzil population are Chamula (48,500), San Cristóbal de las Casas (30,700), and Zinacantan(24,300), in the Mexican state of Chiapas.The Tzotzil language, like Tzeltal and Ch'ol, is descended from the proto-Ch'ol spoken in the late classic period at sites such as Palenque and Yaxchilan. The word tzotzil originally meant “bat people” or “people of the bat” in the Tzotzil language (from tzotz“bat”). Today the Tzotzil refer to their language as Bats'i k'op, which means “true word” in the modern language.After the Spanish conquest, the Tzotzil were for centuries exploited as laborers, first by the Spaniards and then by the Ladinos (urban Spanish-speaking people of Spanish and native descent) who own most of the land and dominate commerce. During most of this period, a rigid caste system sharply divided the natives from the Ladinos, with very different rights and obligations. The oppression led them to revolt in 1528, 1712, and 1868. The situation of the Tzoltzil worsened considerably in 1863, when laws enacted by Benito Juárezstripped the Indian towns of their corporate lands, forcing many Zinacantecos to become debt-indentured laborers on farms owned by the Ladinos.The sense of national pride has become stronger among the Tzotzil since 1940, as natives have increasingly began to occupy local administrative posts and used their cultural identity for political purposes. While sizable Tzotzil communities have appeared in some towns, other Tzotzil towns have been undergoing “reindianization” as the formerly dominating Ladino minorities have migrated to larger cities.With the collapse of coffee prices in the 1980s, sustainable employment has been hard for many people in the highlands to find. As both population and foreign tourism have risen, the sale of artisan goods has replaced other economic activities. Tzotzils usually sell their products in the nearby cities of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Simojovel. Recently, and increasingly, many Maya from the highlands of Chiapas have found migration to other parts of Mexico and the United States a way to break away from subsistence farming and abysmal wages.Traditional men’s clothing consists of shirt, short pants, neckerchief, hat, and wool poncho. Traditional women’s clothing is a blouse or long overdress (huipil), indigo dyed skirt (enredo), cotton sash, and shawl.1. Market of San Cristobal, Chiapas 2. Palm Sunday service, Chiapas, April 20155. Tzeltal, Chiapas7. Husband and wife at Sunday market, San Lorenzo Zinacantan village, Chiapas8. San Lorenzo Zinacantan village, Chiapas9. Tzotzil rock band Yibel -- source link
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