The Tzotzil Maya of the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico are a Native American group, the direct descendants of the Classic Maya. Tzotzil, along with Tzeltal and Ch'ol is descended from the proto-Ch'ol spoken in the late classic period at sites such as Palenque and Yaxchilan. Today, the largest Tzotzil municipalities are Chamula and Zinacantan. This article will mostly concern itself with the Maya civilization after the conquest by Spain. ... Other Mexican States Capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez Other major cities San Cristóbal Tapachula list of municipalities Area 74,211 km² Ranked 8th Population (2000 census) 3,920,500 Ranked 8th Governor (2000-06) Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía (alliance of PRD, PAN, & others) Federal Deputies (12) PRI = 11 PAN = 1 Federal Senators PRI... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... The Maya are people of southern Mexico and northern Central America (Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador) with some 3,000 years of history. ... Tzeltal is a Maya language spoken in Chiapas, Mexico. ... Chol is Maya ethnic group or northern Chiapas in South-Eastern Mexico. ... The Palace, Ruins of Palenque Palenque is a Maya archeological site not far from the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, about 130 km. ... One of the pyramids on the upper terrace of Yaxchilan. ...

The word "tzotzil" means "people of wool" (tzotz = wool in the Tzotzil language). Tzotzil people make their clothing primarily out of wool. However, according to ancient Maya language, "tzotzil" could also be translated as "bat people", given the association of their culture with this animal in the view of the Mayas.

The Tzotziles were for centuries exploited by Europeans as laborers on coffee and sugar plantations, particularly in the central valleys of the state. Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... A sugar is a form of carbohydrate; the most commonly used sugar is a white crystalline solid, sucrose; used to alter the flavor and properties (mouthfeel, preservation, texture) of beverages and food. ...

With the collapse of coffee prices in the 1980's, 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. Tzotziles usually sell their products in the nearby cities of San Cristobal 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 illegal immigration to the United States a way to break away from subsistance farming and abysmal wages. Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Categories: Cities in Chiapas | Mexico geography stubs ... Comitán (formally: Comitán de Domínguez) is a small city in the Mexican state of Chiapas. ... An illegal immigrant is a person who either enters a country illegally, or who enters legally but subsequently violates the terms of their visa, permanent resident permit or refugee permit. ...

There still exist some racial/cultural integration issues, especially with white people, mestizos, and westerlized indians (all called "ladinos"). Also, most of the enrollment source for the Zapatista guerrilla are tzotziles. A Zapatista was originally a member of the revolutionary guerilla movement founded around 1910 by Emiliano Zapata, whose Liberation Army of the South (Ejército Libertador del Sur) fought during the Mexican Revolution for the redistribution of agricultural land. ...

The Tzotzil dialect of the Mayan language had about 350,000 speakers as of 2002.

Myths & Legends

• Charcoal Crunchers

A present-day Tzotzil tale tells why weird creatures called Charcoal Crunchers no longer exist. ...

References

• Laughlin, Robert M. (1975). The great Tzotzil dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. {{{ID}}}.