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A powerful and numerous Mexican tribe located chiefly inOaxaca and Guerrero, forming with the Mixteca and Mazateca the Zapotecan linguistic stock. At the time of the conquest of Mexico they were independent of theAztec, whom they resembled in customs; they were defeated by theSpaniards only after several campaigns between 1522 and 1527, not submitting finally till 1551. They were a sedentary race and well advanced in civilization, living in large villages and towns, in houses constructed with stone and mortar. They recorded the principal events in their history by means of hieroglyphics, and inwarfare they made use of a cotton armour. The well-known ruins of Mitla have been attributed to them and were claimed by them to be thetombs of their ancestors.
They had an elaborate religious system, and humansacrifices were offered. The modern Zapotecas are very intelligent, progressive, and hard-working; they make good soldiers and political leaders, and are excellent citizens. Benito Juarez, President of Mexico, was a full-blooded Zapoteca. They number almost 300,000, and with their kinsmen 750,000. Many of them still speak only their native Indian language. Though they are nowCatholics, some of their ancientbeliefs and practices, such as burying money with the dead, still survive. The first missionaries among the Zapotecas were Bartolomé de Olmeda, aMercedarian, and Juan Díaz, asecular priest, who wasmartyred by the natives in Quechula near Tepeaca for having overthrown their idols.
GILLOW,Apuentes historicos (Mexico, 1889).
APA citation.MacErlean, A.(1912).Zapoteca Indians. InThe Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15751a.htm
MLA citation.MacErlean, Andrew."Zapoteca Indians."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 15.New York: Robert Appleton Company,1912.<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15751a.htm>.
Transcription.This article was transcribed for New Advent by Thomas M. Barrett.Dedicated to the Zapoteca Indians.
Ecclesiastical approbation.Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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