Mazatec

In this article, Mazatec will be approached from different perspectives with the aim of delving into its importance and relevance today. Throughout the reading, key aspects related to Mazatec will be analyzed, from its origin and evolution to its impact on current society. Different points of view and opinions of experts on the subject will be examined, in order to offer a comprehensive and enriching vision of Mazatec. Likewise, concrete examples and case studies will be presented that will allow the reader to better understand the relevance and application of Mazatec in everyday life. This article seeks to provide a global and complete vision of Mazatec, with the purpose of contributing to the knowledge and understanding of this broad and significant topic.

Indigenous People of Mexico

For the languages, see Mazatecan languages.

Ethnic group

Mazatec
Ha Shuta Enima

Mazatec girls performing a dance in Huautla de Jimenez
Total population
~305,836
Regions with significant populations
Mexico (Oaxaca)
Languages
Mazatec, Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholic, and Traditional religion
Related ethnic groups
Popolocas

The Mazatec are an Indigenous people of Mexico who inhabit the Sierra Mazateca in the state of Oaxaca and some communities in the adjacent states of Puebla and Veracruz.

Some researchers have theorized that the Mazatec, along with Popoloca speakers, once inhabited the lowlands of the Papaloapan basin, but were driven into the adjacent highlands by the expansion of Nahuas.^[1]

Language family

The Mazatecan languages are part of the Popolocan family which, in turn, is part of the Otomanguean language family.

Traditional religious rituals

Mazatec tradition includes the cultivation of entheogens for spiritual and ritualistic use. Plants and fungi used for this purpose include psilocybin mushrooms, psychoactive morning glory seeds (from species such as Ipomoea tricolor and Ipomoea corymbosa), and Salvia divinorum.^[2][3][4] This latter plant is known to Mazatec shamans as ska María Pastora, the name containing a reference to the Virgin Mary.^[3]

Notable Mazatecs

• María Sabina
• Julieta Casimiro

See also

• Indigenous peoples in Mexico
• Mixtec

Notes

1. ^ Wauchope, R. (2015). Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volumes 7 and 8: Ethnology. United States: University of Texas Press. pg 325
2. ^ Jean Basset Johnson (1939) The elements of Mazatec witchcraft, Etnologiska Studier 9:128-150.
3. ^ ^{a b} Valdés et al. (1983)
4. ^ Osiris Sinuhé González Romero (2022-02-10). "Mazatec Shamanic Knowledge and Psilocybin Mushrooms". Chacruna. Retrieved 2022-04-15.

References

• Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics, 4. William Bright (series general ed.) (OUP paperback edition, 2000 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509427-5. OCLC 32923907.
• CDI (2004–2007). "Mazatecos - Ha shuta Enima". Información: Los pueblos indígenas de México (in Spanish). CDI. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
• Karttunen, Frances E. (1994). Between Worlds: Interpreters, Guides, and Survivors. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-2030-8. OCLC 28150669.
• Mooney, James (1911). "Mazatec Indians". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. X (New Advent online reproduction ed.). New York: Robert Appleton and Company. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
• Valdés, Leander J., III; José Luis Díaz; Ara G. Paul (1983). "Ethnopharmacology of ska María Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and Játiva-M)". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 7 (3): 287–312. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(83)90004-1. hdl:2027.42/25229. PMID 6876852.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Article from the Catholic Encyclopedia