What is the Zapotec Tona?
“Here, in our town, every child is given their tona from the day they were born – says Angélico –. In our tradition, we have 20 tonas, animals that can be found in our region. This is very important in Zapotec culture: we believe in destiny and the nahual is where it is manifested.
What is the nahual in Zapotec culture?
This is very important in Zapotec culture: we believe in destiny and the nahual is where it is manifested. It is the union of the animal with the human being, when this merging of personalities happens”.
What is the history of the Zapotec civilization?
Zapotec civilization originated in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca in the late 6th century BC. The three valleys were divided among three different-sized societies, separated by 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi) “no-man’s-land” in the middle. The city of Oaxaca much later developed in that area.
What did Zapotecs eat?
The food crops that the ancient Zapotecs grew included beans, gourds such as squash, maize, which is a species of corn, and chiles. These foods continue to be part of the Zapotec diet, especially maize.
What do alebrijes symbolize?
The Alebrijes are spirit guides, as they were depicted in the 20-day cycle of the Zapotec calendar. Being strongly connected with nature, the Aztec people created these symbolic creatures mixing two living animals with anthropomorphic characteristics.
What is my Zapotec spirit animal?
In the Zapotec culture, the guardian animal received the name, toná, and was associated with every individual from the day of his birth. To recognize the toná, when a child was born, the father drew a circle of lime and mezcal at the entrance to the house.
What does alebrijes mean in English?
The word Alebrije means “imaginary” or “fantasy,” describing a style of animal carvings with exceptional paint schemes. As a creative arts therapist, I found this symbolic art form to be fascinating as I came to know about its origins.
Why are alebrijes important to the Day of the Dead?
Alebrijes sculptures are meant to guide spirits on their journey to the afterlife. Alebrijes are traditionally a fusion of several different animals, and Angeles and his team chose animals specifically for what they represent in Mexican culture.
What is the story behind alebrijes?
The origin of the Alebrijes can be traced to Pedro Linares, an artist who lived in Mexico City in the 1930s. Linares said that in 1936 he was very ill and then became unconscious. While in a state of unconsciousness, he began to hallucinate and see visions of a forest with strange animals.
What is my nagual?
nagual, also spelled nahual, personal guardian spirit believed by some Mesoamerican Indians to reside in an animal, such as a deer, jaguar, or bird.
What is the Mayan spirit animal?
Your spirit animal is the jaguar, an important symbol in Mayan culture, nowadays a brand of expensive cars with jaguar figurines on the hood – the fact that every boy once dreamt of snapping them off and running away is telling. People born under this sign are strong, elegant and wise.
What is Mayan spirit?
The Maya believe we are all born with a nahaul or animal spirit that is like a supernatural teacher, guiding us through life, and giving us advice through songs, dreams or visions.
Why are alebrijes important to Mexican culture?
Nowadays, the alebrije is considered an important element of Mexican surrealist art, mainly made of cardboard, paper or wood and believed to protect one's home from evil spirits. They often take the form of fantastic animals or creatures of mythical origins.
Do alebrijes represent real animals?
Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting animals, people, objects, and imaginary creatures painted with intense colors and intricate patterns. Although these distinctive cultural artifacts are often assumed to represent a long established, tradition of Mexican folk art, they only began to appear in the 1940s.
What animals are alebrijes?
The Alebrijes are imaginary creatures that have elements from different animals such as dragon bodies, bat wings, wolf teeth and dog eyes. Colorfully painted, they were originally made with papier mache but nowadays they are also wood carved. The Alebrije was created by Pedro Linares Lopez in the 1930's.
What are Tonas in Zapoteco?
They use Mixtec-Zapotec iconography on their pieces in a unique style that we have been developed over years. The “tonas” are the animals of the Zapoteco calendar.
What do Jacobo and Maria do?
Jacobo and Maria now teaches others to follow the same craft and techniques. They generates jobs to more than 100 collaborators who work in different areas: carving, resanado, painted, administration, kitchen and sales.
What are some of the animals that Angeles painted?
The animals are generally recognizable can include jaguars, dogs, bears, owls and more, often doing something such as flying, scratching itself or fighting. One distinguishing elements in much of Angeles’ work is the appearance of human faces in otherwise animal figures, such as an armadillo with a woman’s head with braids.
Where were Alebrijes born?
It must have taken months to free hand paint them. Alebrijes were born with Pedro Linares in Mexico City in the first half of the 20th century.
The Zapoteca People In The Oaxacan State of Mexico
The Zapotecs are the indigenous people of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They call themselves "Be'ena' Za'", meaning the Cloud People.
The Zapoteca Culture
In the Zapoteca language, most names of animals begin with pe/be or pi/bi, which means breath, wind, or spirit.
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Study the lessons of the past and what we can learn from ancient civilizations to reinvent ourselves and survive in the 21st century.
Cosmología y rituales zapotecas
La cosmología zapoteca es uno de los primeros sistemas de creencias que se desarrolló en Mesoamérica. Según la Zapoteca, el mundo tenía un centro y estaba dividido en cuatro cuartos, cada uno asociado a un color. El mundo y el cosmos fueron creados por un ser sensible que siempre ha existido.
Símbolos zapotecas
Un símbolo importante para los zapotecas era el fémur. De hecho, la gente desenterraba a sus antepasados para extirpar el fémur, que se especula que fue utilizado como cetro por los descendientes y símbolo de su dinastía.
Calendario zapoteca
Los zapotecas creían que el tiempo es cíclico, que los días y los eventos se repiten, a diferencia de los lineales y cronológicos en los que los días avanzan y los eventos no se repiten. El calendario sagrado de los zapotecas tenía 20 meses de 20 días resultando en un total de 260 días.
Resumen de la lección
El pueblo zapoteca prosperó en el sur de México en el estado de Oaxaca durante siglos y sus descendientes todavía viven allí. La zapoteca creía que había un espíritu o aliento llamado pè que daba a los seres vivos la capacidad de moverse . El ser sobrenatural más poderoso que reconoció la Zapoteca fue Cocijo , que encarnaba el rayo y el trueno.
What is the Zapotec civilization?
The Zapotec civilization ( Be'ena'a ( Zapotec) "The People" c. 700 BC–1521 AD) was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca in Mesoamerica.
What is the Zapotec city?
The Zapotec archaeological site at the ancient city of Monte Albán has monumental buildings, ball courts, magnificent tombs and grave goods, including finely worked gold jewelry. Monte Albán was one of the first major cities in Mesoamerica.
What does the name Zapotec mean?
The name Zapotec is an exonym; they were referred to by Nahuatl speakers as tzapotēcah (singular tzapotēcatl ), which means "inhabitants of the place of sapote ". The Zapotec referred to themselves by some variant of the term Be'ena'a, which means "The Cloud People".
What are the three valleys of Oaxaca?
The Central Valleys of Oaxaca, the cradle of Zapotec civilization, are three broad valleys—Etla in the west, Ocotlán in the south and Mitla in the east—that join at an altitude of about 4500 feet above sea level in the center of what today is the state of Oaxaca. They are located about 200 km south of Mexico City.
How many dialects are there in Zapotec?
There are 7 distinct Zapotec languages and over 100 dialects. Zapotec is a tone language, which means that the meaning of a word is often determined by voice pitch (tonemes), essential for understanding the meaning of different words.
Where are the Zapotecan languages spoken?
Zapotec languages are spoken in parts of the Northern Sierra, the Central Valleys as well as in parts of the Southern Sierra, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and along parts of the Pacific Coast.
Where was the Bat God found?
Zapotec mosaic mask that represents a Bat god, made of 25 pieces of jade, with yellow eyes made of shell. It was found in a tomb at Monte Albán. The Zapotecs developed a calendar and a logosyllabic system of writing that used a separate glyph to represent each of the syllables of the language.
What does the tona mean in Zapotec culture?
It is believed that this companion influences and shapes the very core of our personality as we naturally adopt and acquire the character of that specific animal we’ve been assigned at birth. “Here, in our town, every child is given their tona from the day they were born – says Angélico –. In our tradition, we have 20 tonas, animals that can be found in our region. This is very important in Zapotec culture: we believe in destiny and the nahual is where it is manifested. It is the union of the animal with the human being, when this merging of personalities happens”.
What does a dot represent in a snail?
Angélico’s choice of patterns is also meticulously researched. A dot, for example, represents new life, feet represent the journey of the people towards their destiny and the snail the contribution to the community. Each piece is custom-made with a lot of love, hard work and patience. “For a high quality piece a minimum of four months are needed – Angélico explains –. For the smaller pieces, we can carve up to 20 a month. First the wood is cut with a machete, then carved with a knife to better give it its shape. It is then left to dry for a while. The wooden figures are then treated, polished, and finally they’re painted.”
Nutria: animal de poder
Los nacidos entre el 20 de enero y el 18 de febrero tienen la nutria como animal de poder. Estas son personas generalmente independientes y con una visión distinta de la realidad. Puesto que la nutria hace las cosas de una forma poco usual, en ocasiones es difícil de comprender para los demás.
Lobo: animal espiritual
Los nacidos entre el 19 de febrero y el 20 de marzo tendrán el lobo como animal espiritual, según el horóscopo de los indios americanos. Estas son personas apasionadas y emocionales.
Halcón: animal de poder
El halcón es el tótem indio de los nacidos entre el 21 de marzo y el 19 de abril. El halcón tiene una mente ingeniosa y es ideal para tomar decisiones en las peores situaciones. Tiene un instinto natural para el liderazgo y se centra siempre en perseguir sus objetivos, así como el halcón persigue a su presa hasta alcanzarla.
Castor: animal de poder
Quienes nazcan entre el 20 de abril y el 20 de mayo tendrán como tótem animal el castor. A los castores les encanta estar al mando de las situaciones, aunque también es muy flexible y se adapta a todo con facilidad.
Ciervo: animal de poder
Si has nacido entre el 21 de mayo y el 20 de junio, tu animal de poder es el ciervo. En la cultura nativo americana, este animal representa la creatividad. Es ingenioso, alegre e inspirador, y destaca normalmente por su capacidad para hacer reír a los demás. Es, además, un gran orador que siempre tiene algo que decir.
Pájaro carpintero: animal espiritual
Los nacidos entre el 21 de junio y el 21 de julio tienen como signo zodiacal el pájaro carpintero. Este es el más afectivo de todos y el que más suele escuchar a los demás. Son, por lo tanto, los más empáticos y compresivos de todos.
Salmón: signo del zodiaco
Si has nacido entre el 22 de julio y el 21 de agosto, el salmón es tu animal interior. El salmón es centrado, intuitivo y lleno de vitalidad. Su punto fuerte es la creatividad y su entusiasmo, y son capaces de motivar a los demás de forma natural. Los salmones suelen ser personas que tienen muchos amigos debido a sus características.