Chorotega
Encyclopedia
Chorotega, also known as Mangue, was a language indigenous people of Honduras
, Costa Rica
and Nicaragua
. The ethnic population number around 10,000. The Chorotega language, which was a member of the Manguean branch of the Oto-Manguean
language family, is now extinct
. Chorotega-speaking peoples included the Mangue and Monimbo; dialects were Chorotega proper, Diria, Nagrandan, Nicoya, Orisi, and Orotiña.
The Oto-Manguean languages are spoken mainly in Mexico
and it is thought that the Chorotega moved south from Mexico together with the speakers of Subtiaba
and Chiapanec
well before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Americas.
Some sources list "Choluteca" as an alternative name of the people and their language and this has caused some, for example Terrence Kaufman
(2001) to speculate that they were the original inhabitants of the city of Cholula
, who were displaced with the arrival of Nahua people in central Mexico. The etymology for the nomenclature "Chorotega" in this case would come from the Nahuatl language where "Cholōltēcah" means "inhabitants of Cholula". The Region south of Honduras derives its name from this nahuatl word, present day Choluteca
, and Choluteca City. Choluteca was originally inhabited by Chorotega groups.
In Guaitil
, Costa Rica
, the Chorotega have been absorbed into the Costa Rican culture, losing their language, but the Chorotega pottery techniques and styles have been preserved.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. The ethnic population number around 10,000. The Chorotega language, which was a member of the Manguean branch of the Oto-Manguean
Oto-Manguean languages
Oto-Manguean languages are a large family comprising several families of Native American languages. All of the Oto-Manguean languages that are now spoken are indigenous to Mexico, but the Manguean branch of the family, which is now extinct, was spoken as far south as Nicaragua and Costa Rica.The...
language family, is now extinct
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
. Chorotega-speaking peoples included the Mangue and Monimbo; dialects were Chorotega proper, Diria, Nagrandan, Nicoya, Orisi, and Orotiña.
The Oto-Manguean languages are spoken mainly in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and it is thought that the Chorotega moved south from Mexico together with the speakers of Subtiaba
Subtiaba
Subtiaba is an extinct Oto-Manguean language which was spoken on the Pacific slope of Nicaragua. In 1925 Edward Sapir wrote an article based on scant evidence arguing for the inclusion of Subtiaba in his hypothesized Hokan group. Others have linked Subtiaba to the Jicaque and Tol languages, but...
and Chiapanec
Chiapanec
Chiapanec is the name of an indigenous Mexican language of the Oto-Manguean language family. The 1990 census reported 17 speakers of the language in southern Chiapas out of an ethnic population of 32, but later investigations failed to find any speakers....
well before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Americas.
Some sources list "Choluteca" as an alternative name of the people and their language and this has caused some, for example Terrence Kaufman
Terrence Kaufman
Terrence Kaufman is an American linguist specializing in documentation of unwritten languages, Mesoamerican historical linguistics and language contact phenomena. He is currently a professor at the department of anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh....
(2001) to speculate that they were the original inhabitants of the city of Cholula
Cholula (Mesoamerican site)
Cholula , was an important city of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BCE, with settlement as a village going back at least some thousand years earlier. The great site of Cholula stands just west of the modern city of Puebla. Its immense pyramid exceeds the Pyramid...
, who were displaced with the arrival of Nahua people in central Mexico. The etymology for the nomenclature "Chorotega" in this case would come from the Nahuatl language where "Cholōltēcah" means "inhabitants of Cholula". The Region south of Honduras derives its name from this nahuatl word, present day Choluteca
Choluteca (department)
Choluteca is one of the 18 departments into which the Central American nation of Honduras is divided. It is the southernmost department of Honduras, bordering the Gulf of Fonseca to the west and the Republic of Nicaragua to the east and south.The departmental capital is city of Choluteca...
, and Choluteca City. Choluteca was originally inhabited by Chorotega groups.
In Guaitil
Guaitil
Guaitil is a village in Diria District, Santa Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. It lies along the old route between Santa Cruz and Nicoya. The town is famous for its pottery in the pre-Columbian Chorotega style...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, the Chorotega have been absorbed into the Costa Rican culture, losing their language, but the Chorotega pottery techniques and styles have been preserved.