Alternative Names
In Spanish the Zapotec language is called Zapoteco and those who speak it Zapotecos. In native terms, the name for Zapotec varies slightly depending on which branch of Zapotec is being referred to. Linguists have documented at least four different branches of Zapotec. In the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, the Zapotec language is called dizaa (Zaachila) and in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec diidxazá or didxazá (Juchitán) (language/words of the clouds).
Location
One of 15 different ethnic groups (based on the criteria of language) originating in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, Zapotec communities are concentrated in the central and eastern parts of the state, ranging from the Sierra Juárez in the north, to the Central Valleys located around Oaxaca City, to the Isthmus area of the state bordering Chiapas, to the Sierra Sur that backs onto the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. Because the Zapotec have always been entrepreneurial and have traveled widely and migrated throughout their history,...
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Stephen, L. (2003). Zapotec. In: Ember, C.R., Ember, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-29907-6_105
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