The Zapotecs are an indigenous people of Mexico, concentrated in the state of Oaxaca but also with communities spread into some of the neighbouring states. Present-day population may be estimated at approximately 300,000 to 400,000 persons, many of whom are monolingual in one of their native Zapotec languages and dialects (The Zapotec languages together with the near-relative Chatino language form a wider language group, called also Zapotecan). In pre-Columbian times the Zapotec civilization was one of the highly developed cultures of Mesoamerica. Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Mayas at San Juan Chamula, Chiapas Mexico has defined itself, in the second article of its constitution, as a pluricultural nation, in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it. ... Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... Zapotec refers to a native people of Mexico, their language family consisting of more than fifteen languages, and their historic culture and traditions. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... The term Pre-Columbian is used to refer to the cultures of the New World in the era before significant European influence. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The cultural areas of Mesoamerica The term Mesoamérica is used to refer to a geographical region that extends roughly from the Tropic of Cancer in central Mexico down through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua to northwestern Costa Rica, and which is characterized by the particular cultural homogeneity...

Though the Zapotecs are now largely Catholics, some of their ancient beliefs and practices, such as the burial of the dead with valuables, still survive. The first missionaries among the Zapotecs were Bartolomé de Olmeda, a Mercedarian, and Juan Díaz, a secular priest, who was killed by the natives in Quechula near Tepeaca for having "overthrown their idols". Our Lady of Mercy - From the Generalate of the Mercedarian Order The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (or the Order of Merced or Mercedarians or the Order of Captives) is a Religious Order established in 1218 by Peter Nolasco in Barcelona, Spain for the redemption of Christian... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...

The most famous Zapotec person in modern times was Benito Juárez, generally regarded as Mexico's greatest President. Benito Pablo Juárez García () (March 21, 1806 – July 18, 1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian who served two terms (1861–1863 and 1867–1872) as President of Mexico. ...

Many people of Zapotec ancestry have emigrated to the United States over several decades, and they maintain their own social organizations in the Los Angeles, California area and Central Valley. Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... This article is about the Californian geographic feature. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Malinowski, Sharon; Sheets, Anna, ed. (1998); "Zapotec" in The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes; Gale Research, Detroit, Michigan.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• Zapotec Culture (in English and Spanish)
• Zapotec Language (including variants, in English and Spanish)