Tlacolula de Matamoros
Encyclopedia
Tlacolula de Matamoros is a city and municipality
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca
, about 30 km from the center of the city of Oaxaca
on Federal Highway 190
, which leads east to Mitla
and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
.
It is part of the Tlacolula District
in the east of the Valles Centrales Region
.
The city is the main commercial center for the Tlacolula Valley area, and best known for its weekly open air market held on Sundays. This market is one of the oldest, largest and busiest in Oaxaca, mostly selling foodstuffs and other necessities for the many rural people which come into town on this day to shop. The city is also home to a 16th century Dominican church, whose chapel, the Capilla del Señor de Tlacolula, is known for its ornate Baroque
decoration and a crucifix to which have been ascribed many miracles. Outside the city proper, the municipality is home to the Yagul
archeological site. and a number of a group of one hundred caves and rock shelters which document the pre-historic transition of people from hunting and gathering to agriculture based on the domestication of corn and other plants.
The name most likely comes from the Nahuatl
phrase Tlacolullan, which means “place of abundance.” However, some trace the origin to the Nahuatl phrase Tlacololli, which means “something twisted.” Its original Zapotec name was Guillbaan, which means “village of the burials.” The appendage “de Matamoros” is to honor Mariano Matamoros
of the Mexican War of Independence
thought that the Zapotecs arrived from a region called Panuco and established themselves first at Tula
, with the first dominant settlement at Teotitlán del Valle
. The early populations eventually drained the lake, and built a number of settlements. The first settlement nearest the modern city is at what is now San Antonio de la Cal, which was established around 1250 Eventually, the Zapotecs dominated most of the central valleys area. Tradition states that the city was first founded in Yagul, now an archeological site.
There are two competing stories as to how the modern settlement was established by the Spanish. The first states that it was founded as a way station for Europeans traveling to and from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at the location between the Salado and Seco Rivers. However, flooding forced the community to move to the present location. The other version has the settlement founded by friars Gonzalo Lucero and Bernadino de Minaya as an evangelization center and monastery, to which the native population eventually drifted. Either way, the settlement was formally established as Santa Maria de la Asuncion Tlacolula in 1560. One of the first major constructions in the Spanish settlement was the Church of La Asunción in 1561. Many of the religious festivals which continue to this day were established around the same time.
After the establishment of the town, several haciendas were established belonging to the Alferez, Taniye and Soriano families.
During the Mexican Revolution
, factions loyal to Venustiano Carranza
and Francisco Villa fought for dominance here, with battles in the Sierra Juárez
mountains and at the city itself.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the city was well known for counterfeit goods, which was mostly eliminated in the 1980s. Since the 2000s, it has been making a comeback, especially in the form of pirated CDs and DVDs.
During the 2006 Oaxaca protests
, a number of “community radio stations” established to provide alternative outlets of information and propaganda. Since this time, most of these stations, including Radio Tlacolula (http://tlacolularadio.msdnoticias.com/), have not been able to get operating licenses from the federal government and exist illegally. They have also been the target of opposition forces seeking to shut them down. One effort to do so was attempted in 2008, but it was not successful.
Political tensions related to the election of a new municipal president have existed since 2009, with no apparent candidate. Much of the reason for this is the lack of support by the ejido
s, or communal farm organizations. This issue for the ejidos is that the candidate must be from Tlacolula, and not candidates chosen by or associated with the state’s dominant PRI party
. The current president is from the PAN party
, but is an ex-PRI member who is accused of blackmail. The members of the ejidos have the right to nominate or support candidates collectively, which is normally done at a meeting called the “Caudillo del Sur.” Municipal elections are scheduled to be held in 2010.
In the early part of 2010, about 800 people organized into groups calling themselves “14 de junio,” “and “1 de mayo,” and took over lands legally belonging to Chagoya family. The people claim that they were not in possession of the land illegally and that Roberto Chagoya donated the land to families unable to afford to buy their own. The title of the land is under dispute with Ernesto Chagoya claiming ownership and denouncing the occupation. On 12 April 2010, municipal police forced the people off the land and the organizations have sought help from APPO and other organizations.
Another important commercial location is the permanent municipal market which is located just off the main plaza. This market consists of two fifty by twenty meter semi-enclosed areas, each of which houses scores of vendors, mostly selling basic staples. It is known for its breads, ice cream and traditional cooking utensils such as comal
s and metate
s as well as traditional clothing. This market has a large food area that prepares many of the area’s local and regional specialties, such as variousmoles
(colorado, amarillo, verde and chichilo) as well as tlayuda
s and meats in sauces based on tomatoes and beans. Chapulines
can be found as well. The local version of barbacoa
is with goat meat in a dark red broth. The stew is accompanied by fresh corn tortillas, cabbage, radishes, cilantro and lime. Another traditional meal is to buy your meat and have it grilled on the spot, served with tortillas and condiments.
Tlacolula also has an old train station, which no longer hosts trains but does contain businesses such as a those selling bacon, fireworks and other products. The Casa de Cultura is in the municipal palace and sponsored by the Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas.
The parish church, called the Church of “La Asunsión de Nuestra Señora” was founded as a Dominican
mission in the mid 16th century. It consists of the main church and the Chapel of the Señor del Tlacolula. The outside and the main church appear similar to other Dominican churches of the same time period in the central valleys of Oaxaca, although there is some fine silverwork on the main altar and the doors have ornate ironwork. The church’s organ was constructed in 1753, and many of its parts are original. What makes this church notable is the Baroque chapel dedicated to a crucifix called the Señor de Tlacolula. This chapel can be accessed directly from the atrium
but the main entrance is from the a main nave of the church, which has an ornate iron gate and statues guarding it. The chapel is now meant as the home for the crucifix, which was created in the 18th century, but what makes the chapel notable is its ornate decoration, which covers almost all the wall and ceiling space, as well as the unusual way many of the saints are depicted. Many of the saints are martyrs, who are depicted based on how they died. Upon entering the chapel from the main church, one passes two decapitated martyrs, Saint Andrew
, dressed as a bishop with his head on the ground and John the Baptist
, depicted with a sheep and holding his own head. On one side, there is a depiction of Calvary
, which contains John the Baptist, again headless and on his knees being bathed in the blood coming from Christ’s body. Near this is a scene with Christ in a coffin with Saint James, Saint Andrew and Lawrence of Rome among others. Another striking image is that of Saint Peter
, dresses as a Dominican with a knife in his chest and an ax in his head. Not all the depictions are of blood. There is also one of Anthony of Padua
taking a child by the hand. He is curiously dressed as a Franciscan
monk with tonsure
. Another image is of the Trinity in a medieval style. There is also a painting depicting Palm Sunday
, with Jesus on a donkey entering Jerusalem. There are side altars dedicated to Jesus the Nazarene and the Virgin of the Assumption. The main altar contains the crucifix, which is guarded by a fence two silver angels which seem to fly holding up two silver censers. In front of the altar is a solid silver fence. Around the paintings and the statues, are wrought ironwork and flowers and other elements raised from the walls and ceiling in plaster.
The chapel was designed this way for evangelization purposes, when it was first built in the 16th century. It was successful enough that it has maintained a strong devoted following since it was built. This devotion prompted Pope Pius VII
to issue an indulgence stating that priests officiating at this altar can have the sins of one who has recently died completely forgiven. The chapel is still favored to pray for the souls of the departed, especially those in purgatory
. The church is a regional pilgrimage site, as the Señor de Tlacolula has had many miracles ascribed to him.
The city hosts a number of religious and secular festivals during the year. Religious festivals include the feast of the Virgen del Rosario, (which was filmed by researchers from the University of Arizona
), Day of the Dead
and the feast of the Señor de Tlacolula. For Day of the Dead, the municipality sponsors an “ofrenda” (Day of the Dead altar) for grade school children. The first prize was $5000 MXN
. The feast of the Christ of Tlacolula is held on the second Sunday of October, lasting five days, which is celebrated not only with traditional Masses, processions, folk dances and fireworks, but also with the Mixtec version of the Mesoamerican ball game. The “Fiestas de las Cruces” last for two months from May to the early part of July. To promote its principle products, the city hosts the annual Feria de Mezcal, Artesanía y Gastronomía (Mezcal, Crafts and Gastronomy Festival) in October.
Despite its city status, one rural indigenous custom which is still practiced is the “tequio.” This is a form of communal work which is unpaid and done by community members for the public benefit. It is most often performed for infrastructure services such as laying water mains. Sometimes the tequio also consists of paying for part of the project. Another tradition which can still be found the is use of a “marriage broker” get families to agree to the event.
) of Tlacolula is one of the oldest continuous in Mesoamerica
and the largest and busiest in the Central Valley region of Oaxaca. The only market of any type which is larger is the Centro de Abastos (main grocery market selling to retailers) in the city of Oaxaca. This market is part of a tradition of weekly markets which is still found in Oaxaca, where people from rural areas come the local town to buy, sell and socialize, and are a functional feature of pre-modern peasant economies. The market provides a retail outlet for those living in communities too small to support permanent retail establishments.
Each Sunday, very early in the morning, officials close the main street for eight blocks between the main plaza and the bus station, near the highway. Paying fees for the right, venders set up stalls all over these main road and along adjoining parts of the cross streets as well. Most are covered by low hanging colorful tarps which provide protection from sun and rain and almost completely cover the streets from the buildings on one side to those on the other. The most crowded and the most desired locations are those near the plaza and the permanent municipal market buildings. The main church and the municipal palace are both barely visible above all the tarps. Both pedestrian traffic and number of stalls decrease, the further way one gets from this area.
The stalls here are set up early in the morning and taken down that night. The number of vendors on any given Sunday varies but the number usually exceeds 1,000. Counts have been as high as 1,400 and 1,600. Stalls divide into three types. The first is a simple cloth on the ground, with the vendor sitting or kneeling behind it and his/her wares all day. This cloth may contain only a few times or it may be full to the edge. The second type is a simple table or stacked boxes. The third is a stall with walls, often constructed of interconnecting metal rods. They type of stall used depends on the economics of the vendors and the types of products they sell. In addition to the stalls, street vendors walk around the market carrying their goods with them, approaching potential customers to ask for a sale.
Generally, the Sunday merchants sell everyday household items, agricultural products, prepared foods, farm animals, mezcal, clothing, jewelry, kitchen utensils, audio CDs, tools, pottery for everyday use rather than purely decorative or tourist items such as barro negro pottery . Also not generally sold are heavy, bulky goods, which cannot be carried away by hand. While it is not unusual to see bananas stacked next to blue jeans, next to tools, most vendors of similar items tend to group together in certain zones. This is not done by formal agreement, mostly tradition, social contacts and economy play roles. For example, the sellers of rugs and blankets group together north of the churchyard, across from a grouping of vendors selling expensive handmade vests. This agglomeration has advantages for both buyer and seller. In this way, a wider range of goods can be offered and comparison shopping is somewhat possible. However, not all vendors of the same merchandise choose to sell near their competitors for a number of reasons, they do not want to compete pricewise, the stall space is too expensive or they use loudspeakers to attract customers.
Market day is considered a festive day in Oaxacan towns. Ranchers, farmers and other people from rural areas come to the city to sell shop and socialize. Products, especially certain prepared foods, are available here that are generally not anywhere else. One example is tejate, a fermented corn and mamey
seed drink. Most of the rural people who come to town on Sunday are indigenous, and seeing women dressed in colorful traditional garb, such as rebozo
s, embroidered blouses and wool skirts, is more common on this day than even in the municipal market during the week. Many of the indigenous women’s home village can be identified by their clothing. It is common to see native women carrying bundles on their backs or on their heads. This is because most sellers are women.(psabor) These women tend to be quite traditional, speaking Zapotec, trading items instead of accepting money and not permitting the taking of their photographs.
In the 1960s and 1970s, local used to jokingly refer to this market as “Tokiolula” since it carried many counterfeit and cheap items from Asia. While the counterfeit goods were mostly eliminated in the 1980s, pirated CDs and DVDs, as well as other counterfeit goods have made their way back into the otherwise traditional market.
, Villa Díaz Ordaz
, San Pablo Villa de Mitla
, Magdalena Teitipac
, San Bartolomé Quialana
, San Lucas Quiaviní
, Santiago Matatlán
, San Dionisio Ocotepec
, San Juan Guelavía
, Santa Cruz Papalutla
, San Lorenzo Albarradas
and San Pedro Quiatoni
.
. Wildlife consists of small mammals such as rabbits, opossums and moles along some species of birds. Rarely, an eagle can be seen.
The area still has serious problems with poverty, with many social services such as education, sanitation and health services insufficient or lacking. This is particularly true in the outlying areas. For this reason, many residents of the municipality has immigrated to the United States, mostly congregating in the Venice Beach area of southern California. Many Zapotec-speaking peoples from the area work in stalls along the boardwalk or as cooks, waiters and mains in the upscale restaurants and hotels of Santa Monica
. So many live in this area that Zapotec is the mother tongue for about thirty percent of school children in certain neighborhoods.
The best known archeological site within the municipality proper is Yagul, a former city-stae associated with the Zapotec civilization
. The site was declared one of the country's four Natural Monument
s on 13 October 1998. The site is also known locally as Pueblo Viejo (Old Village) and was occupied at the time of the Spanish Conquest. After the Conquest the population was relocated to modern Tlacolula where their descendants still live. Yagul was first occupied around 500-100 BC. Around 500-700 AD, residential, civic and ceremonial structures were built at the site. However, most of the visible remains date to 1250-1521 AD, when the site functioned as the capital of a Postclassic
city-state. The site was excavated in the 1950s and 60s by archaeologists Ignacio Bernal
and John Paddock.
More recently catalogued and recognized are a group of about one hundred caves and rock shelters in the Tlacolula Valley which are found in the Tlacolula and other municipalities. The significance of these caves is that many have pre-historic cave paintings and/or evidence of the transition of humans from hunter/gatherers to sedentary farmers due to the domestication of corn and other plants on the American continent. INAH has worked to recommended these caves to become a World Heritage Site
with investigation and documentation ongoing. The site was inscribed onto Mexico’s “Lista Indicativa de México” in the 2000s and WHS recognition was received in 2007.
The caves and rock shelters vary in size and what they contain. Many contain paintings and other forms of graphic representation. Contents include ceramics and stone tools. The corn materials show similarities to the first vestiges of the domestication of wheat and rye in the Middle East. One of the deepest caves is called the Cueva de la Paloma. The caves have been studied since the 1960s, especially the Cueva de Guilá Naquitz (white stone in Zapotec), which has some of the best evidence for the domestication of corn and squash, which dates back more than 10,000 years. Other caves, such as those near Yagual and Mitla confirm findings at Guilá Naquitz and show human occupation to about 8000 years BCE the sites also show similarities to the Head Smashed and Buffalo Jump Complex sites in Canada. Many more smaller caves with similar artifacts are thought to exist in the area.
One of the local legends is called “La Mujer Coyota” or The Coyote Woman. A young man who was well known for being honest and hardworking fell in love with a woman from another village. Courtship followed in the traditional manner, the two married and he went to live with her. Soon after, the woman confessed that she was a nagual
(an Aztec demon) in the form of a coyote. She told the man that if he let her change him into a coyote, they could be together forever. Being in love, the man accepted immediately. As a coyote, the man found that in order to survive, he needed to rob attack farm animals and eat the meat raw, which he had never done before. He also found that the other coyotes did not respect him, and sniffed about his woman. One day, his hunger took him to his old village and to the home of his former childhood friend. He tried to steal food from his friend, only to be attacked with a machete
. He friend cried that he was a no good coyote who had no idea how to earn his bread. Upon hearing this, the man felt shame. He returned to his wife as asked her to change him back into a man, which she did cursing. Returned to human form, the man killed his wife-coyote and returned to being an honest worker.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, about 30 km from the center of the city of Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
on Federal Highway 190
Mexican Federal Highway 190
Mexican Federal Highway 190 is a Federal Highway of Mexico....
, which leads east to Mitla
Mitla
Mitla is the second most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. The site is located 44 km from the city of Oaxaca. in the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley, one of the three that form the Central Valleys Region of the...
and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
.
It is part of the Tlacolula District
Tlacolula District, Oaxaca
Tlacolula District is located in the east of the Valles Centrales Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:*Magdalena Teitipac*Rojas de Cuauhtémoc*San Bartolomé Quialana...
in the east of the Valles Centrales Region
Valles Centrales de Oaxaca
The Valles Centrales is a region in the heart of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the districts of Etla, Centro, Zaachila, Zimatlán, Ocotlán, Tlacolula and Ejutla...
.
The city is the main commercial center for the Tlacolula Valley area, and best known for its weekly open air market held on Sundays. This market is one of the oldest, largest and busiest in Oaxaca, mostly selling foodstuffs and other necessities for the many rural people which come into town on this day to shop. The city is also home to a 16th century Dominican church, whose chapel, the Capilla del Señor de Tlacolula, is known for its ornate Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
decoration and a crucifix to which have been ascribed many miracles. Outside the city proper, the municipality is home to the Yagul
Yagul
Yagul is an archaeological site and former city-state associated with the Zapotec civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The site was declared one of the country's four Natural Monuments on 13 October 1998. The site is also known locally as Pueblo Viejo ...
archeological site. and a number of a group of one hundred caves and rock shelters which document the pre-historic transition of people from hunting and gathering to agriculture based on the domestication of corn and other plants.
The name most likely comes from the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
phrase Tlacolullan, which means “place of abundance.” However, some trace the origin to the Nahuatl phrase Tlacololli, which means “something twisted.” Its original Zapotec name was Guillbaan, which means “village of the burials.” The appendage “de Matamoros” is to honor Mariano Matamoros
Mariano Matamoros
Mariano Matamoros y Guridi was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel soldier of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought for independence against Spain in the early 19th century....
of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
History
The Zapotecs probably arrived in the central valleys of Oaxaca in the 2nd century CE. At that time, much of the Tlacolula area was covered by a lake. Fray Juan de TorquemadaJuan de Torquemada
Juan de Torquemada may refer to:* Juan de Torquemada , Spanish cardinal and ecclesiastical author; uncle to Inquisitor, Tomás de Torquemada...
thought that the Zapotecs arrived from a region called Panuco and established themselves first at Tula
Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca
Santa María del Tule is a town and a municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.It is part of the Centro District in the Valles Centrales region.It is located SE of the city of Oaxaca on Highway 190, passing the city and ruins of Mitla...
, with the first dominant settlement at Teotitlán del Valle
Teotitlán del Valle
Teotitlán del Valle is a small village and municipality located in the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region, 31 km from the city of Oaxaca in the foothills of the Sierra Juárez mountains. It is part of the Tlacolula Valley district...
. The early populations eventually drained the lake, and built a number of settlements. The first settlement nearest the modern city is at what is now San Antonio de la Cal, which was established around 1250 Eventually, the Zapotecs dominated most of the central valleys area. Tradition states that the city was first founded in Yagul, now an archeological site.
There are two competing stories as to how the modern settlement was established by the Spanish. The first states that it was founded as a way station for Europeans traveling to and from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at the location between the Salado and Seco Rivers. However, flooding forced the community to move to the present location. The other version has the settlement founded by friars Gonzalo Lucero and Bernadino de Minaya as an evangelization center and monastery, to which the native population eventually drifted. Either way, the settlement was formally established as Santa Maria de la Asuncion Tlacolula in 1560. One of the first major constructions in the Spanish settlement was the Church of La Asunción in 1561. Many of the religious festivals which continue to this day were established around the same time.
After the establishment of the town, several haciendas were established belonging to the Alferez, Taniye and Soriano families.
During the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, factions loyal to Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
and Francisco Villa fought for dominance here, with battles in the Sierra Juárez
Sierra Juárez
Sierra de Juárez is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula, of Baja California, Mexico. It is part of the Peninsular Ranges. The Laguna Mountains of California lie to the north and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir lies to the south....
mountains and at the city itself.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the city was well known for counterfeit goods, which was mostly eliminated in the 1980s. Since the 2000s, it has been making a comeback, especially in the form of pirated CDs and DVDs.
During the 2006 Oaxaca protests
2006 Oaxaca protests
The Mexican state of Oaxaca was embroiled in a conflict that lasted more than seven months and resulted in at least seventeen deaths and the occupation of the capital city of Oaxaca by the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca . The conflict emerged in May 2006 with the police responding to a...
, a number of “community radio stations” established to provide alternative outlets of information and propaganda. Since this time, most of these stations, including Radio Tlacolula (http://tlacolularadio.msdnoticias.com/), have not been able to get operating licenses from the federal government and exist illegally. They have also been the target of opposition forces seeking to shut them down. One effort to do so was attempted in 2008, but it was not successful.
Political tensions related to the election of a new municipal president have existed since 2009, with no apparent candidate. Much of the reason for this is the lack of support by the ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
s, or communal farm organizations. This issue for the ejidos is that the candidate must be from Tlacolula, and not candidates chosen by or associated with the state’s dominant PRI party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
. The current president is from the PAN party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
, but is an ex-PRI member who is accused of blackmail. The members of the ejidos have the right to nominate or support candidates collectively, which is normally done at a meeting called the “Caudillo del Sur.” Municipal elections are scheduled to be held in 2010.
In the early part of 2010, about 800 people organized into groups calling themselves “14 de junio,” “and “1 de mayo,” and took over lands legally belonging to Chagoya family. The people claim that they were not in possession of the land illegally and that Roberto Chagoya donated the land to families unable to afford to buy their own. The title of the land is under dispute with Ernesto Chagoya claiming ownership and denouncing the occupation. On 12 April 2010, municipal police forced the people off the land and the organizations have sought help from APPO and other organizations.
The city
The city is the commercial and political center of the Tlacolula Valley, which is named after it. This valley is home to over 60,000 people, many of whom are Zapotec speakers. The streets of the city form rectangular grid, which spreads out from the 17th century Church of La Asunción and its adjoining plaza. The main street extends north-south and connects to the Pan American Highway (Federal Highway 190). This main street is lined with permanents shops, which are open on Sundays for the customers that come into town for the weekly market. Two notable stores along this street are the Mezcal Pensamento outlet and Chocolate la Tradición. Tlacolula is a major mezcal producer, and Mezcal Pensamento offers more than twenty varieties, many of which are flavored with fruit, coffee and more. At Chocolate la Tradición, chocolate is ground and mixed with sugar, spices and other ingredients to make chocolate for drinking or to use in the making of moles. Much of the chocolate sold here is for consumption in the more rural areas. Hot chocolate is a widely consumed beverage in the valley, prepared with either milk or water, and usually eaten locally made “pan de yema” or egg yolk bread.Another important commercial location is the permanent municipal market which is located just off the main plaza. This market consists of two fifty by twenty meter semi-enclosed areas, each of which houses scores of vendors, mostly selling basic staples. It is known for its breads, ice cream and traditional cooking utensils such as comal
Comal
Comal can refer to:*COMAL, a computer programming language*Comal , frequently used to cook tortillasComal is the name of several places:*Comal County, Texas*Comal River, Texas*Comal Springs...
s and metate
Metate
A metate is a mortar, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican culture, metates were typically used by women who would grind calcified maize and other organic materials during food preparation...
s as well as traditional clothing. This market has a large food area that prepares many of the area’s local and regional specialties, such as variousmoles
Mole (sauce)
Mole is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces...
(colorado, amarillo, verde and chichilo) as well as tlayuda
Tlayuda
Tlayuda, sometimes erroneously spelled Clayuda , is a handmade dish part of the traditional Mexican cuisine, consisting of a large and thin crunchy partially fried or toasted tortilla covered with a spread of refried beans, asiento , lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat , Oaxaca cheese, and salsa.They...
s and meats in sauces based on tomatoes and beans. Chapulines
Chapulines
Chapulines, plural for chapulín, are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium, that are commonly eaten in certain areas of Mexico. The term is specific to Mexico and derives from the Nahuatl language...
can be found as well. The local version of barbacoa
Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, from which the term "barbecue" derives. In contemporary Mexico it generally refers to meats or a whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with...
is with goat meat in a dark red broth. The stew is accompanied by fresh corn tortillas, cabbage, radishes, cilantro and lime. Another traditional meal is to buy your meat and have it grilled on the spot, served with tortillas and condiments.
Tlacolula also has an old train station, which no longer hosts trains but does contain businesses such as a those selling bacon, fireworks and other products. The Casa de Cultura is in the municipal palace and sponsored by the Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas.
The parish church, called the Church of “La Asunsión de Nuestra Señora” was founded as a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
mission in the mid 16th century. It consists of the main church and the Chapel of the Señor del Tlacolula. The outside and the main church appear similar to other Dominican churches of the same time period in the central valleys of Oaxaca, although there is some fine silverwork on the main altar and the doors have ornate ironwork. The church’s organ was constructed in 1753, and many of its parts are original. What makes this church notable is the Baroque chapel dedicated to a crucifix called the Señor de Tlacolula. This chapel can be accessed directly from the atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
but the main entrance is from the a main nave of the church, which has an ornate iron gate and statues guarding it. The chapel is now meant as the home for the crucifix, which was created in the 18th century, but what makes the chapel notable is its ornate decoration, which covers almost all the wall and ceiling space, as well as the unusual way many of the saints are depicted. Many of the saints are martyrs, who are depicted based on how they died. Upon entering the chapel from the main church, one passes two decapitated martyrs, Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, dressed as a bishop with his head on the ground and John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, depicted with a sheep and holding his own head. On one side, there is a depiction of Calvary
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
, which contains John the Baptist, again headless and on his knees being bathed in the blood coming from Christ’s body. Near this is a scene with Christ in a coffin with Saint James, Saint Andrew and Lawrence of Rome among others. Another striking image is that of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, dresses as a Dominican with a knife in his chest and an ax in his head. Not all the depictions are of blood. There is also one of Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised...
taking a child by the hand. He is curiously dressed as a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monk with tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
. Another image is of the Trinity in a medieval style. There is also a painting depicting Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
, with Jesus on a donkey entering Jerusalem. There are side altars dedicated to Jesus the Nazarene and the Virgin of the Assumption. The main altar contains the crucifix, which is guarded by a fence two silver angels which seem to fly holding up two silver censers. In front of the altar is a solid silver fence. Around the paintings and the statues, are wrought ironwork and flowers and other elements raised from the walls and ceiling in plaster.
The chapel was designed this way for evangelization purposes, when it was first built in the 16th century. It was successful enough that it has maintained a strong devoted following since it was built. This devotion prompted Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
to issue an indulgence stating that priests officiating at this altar can have the sins of one who has recently died completely forgiven. The chapel is still favored to pray for the souls of the departed, especially those in purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
. The church is a regional pilgrimage site, as the Señor de Tlacolula has had many miracles ascribed to him.
The city hosts a number of religious and secular festivals during the year. Religious festivals include the feast of the Virgen del Rosario, (which was filmed by researchers from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
), Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
and the feast of the Señor de Tlacolula. For Day of the Dead, the municipality sponsors an “ofrenda” (Day of the Dead altar) for grade school children. The first prize was $5000 MXN
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
. The feast of the Christ of Tlacolula is held on the second Sunday of October, lasting five days, which is celebrated not only with traditional Masses, processions, folk dances and fireworks, but also with the Mixtec version of the Mesoamerican ball game. The “Fiestas de las Cruces” last for two months from May to the early part of July. To promote its principle products, the city hosts the annual Feria de Mezcal, Artesanía y Gastronomía (Mezcal, Crafts and Gastronomy Festival) in October.
Despite its city status, one rural indigenous custom which is still practiced is the “tequio.” This is a form of communal work which is unpaid and done by community members for the public benefit. It is most often performed for infrastructure services such as laying water mains. Sometimes the tequio also consists of paying for part of the project. Another tradition which can still be found the is use of a “marriage broker” get families to agree to the event.
The Sunday market
The Sunday open air market (or tianguisTianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
) of Tlacolula is one of the oldest continuous in Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
and the largest and busiest in the Central Valley region of Oaxaca. The only market of any type which is larger is the Centro de Abastos (main grocery market selling to retailers) in the city of Oaxaca. This market is part of a tradition of weekly markets which is still found in Oaxaca, where people from rural areas come the local town to buy, sell and socialize, and are a functional feature of pre-modern peasant economies. The market provides a retail outlet for those living in communities too small to support permanent retail establishments.
Each Sunday, very early in the morning, officials close the main street for eight blocks between the main plaza and the bus station, near the highway. Paying fees for the right, venders set up stalls all over these main road and along adjoining parts of the cross streets as well. Most are covered by low hanging colorful tarps which provide protection from sun and rain and almost completely cover the streets from the buildings on one side to those on the other. The most crowded and the most desired locations are those near the plaza and the permanent municipal market buildings. The main church and the municipal palace are both barely visible above all the tarps. Both pedestrian traffic and number of stalls decrease, the further way one gets from this area.
The stalls here are set up early in the morning and taken down that night. The number of vendors on any given Sunday varies but the number usually exceeds 1,000. Counts have been as high as 1,400 and 1,600. Stalls divide into three types. The first is a simple cloth on the ground, with the vendor sitting or kneeling behind it and his/her wares all day. This cloth may contain only a few times or it may be full to the edge. The second type is a simple table or stacked boxes. The third is a stall with walls, often constructed of interconnecting metal rods. They type of stall used depends on the economics of the vendors and the types of products they sell. In addition to the stalls, street vendors walk around the market carrying their goods with them, approaching potential customers to ask for a sale.
Generally, the Sunday merchants sell everyday household items, agricultural products, prepared foods, farm animals, mezcal, clothing, jewelry, kitchen utensils, audio CDs, tools, pottery for everyday use rather than purely decorative or tourist items such as barro negro pottery . Also not generally sold are heavy, bulky goods, which cannot be carried away by hand. While it is not unusual to see bananas stacked next to blue jeans, next to tools, most vendors of similar items tend to group together in certain zones. This is not done by formal agreement, mostly tradition, social contacts and economy play roles. For example, the sellers of rugs and blankets group together north of the churchyard, across from a grouping of vendors selling expensive handmade vests. This agglomeration has advantages for both buyer and seller. In this way, a wider range of goods can be offered and comparison shopping is somewhat possible. However, not all vendors of the same merchandise choose to sell near their competitors for a number of reasons, they do not want to compete pricewise, the stall space is too expensive or they use loudspeakers to attract customers.
Market day is considered a festive day in Oaxacan towns. Ranchers, farmers and other people from rural areas come to the city to sell shop and socialize. Products, especially certain prepared foods, are available here that are generally not anywhere else. One example is tejate, a fermented corn and mamey
Mamey
Mamey is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
seed drink. Most of the rural people who come to town on Sunday are indigenous, and seeing women dressed in colorful traditional garb, such as rebozo
Rebozo
A rebozo is a woman's garment used in Mexico. Rectangular in shape, rebozos vary in size from 1.5 to upwards of three metres, and can be made of cotton, wool, silk, or articela. They can be worn as scarves or shawls, and women often use them to carry children and take products to the market. It is...
s, embroidered blouses and wool skirts, is more common on this day than even in the municipal market during the week. Many of the indigenous women’s home village can be identified by their clothing. It is common to see native women carrying bundles on their backs or on their heads. This is because most sellers are women.(psabor) These women tend to be quite traditional, speaking Zapotec, trading items instead of accepting money and not permitting the taking of their photographs.
In the 1960s and 1970s, local used to jokingly refer to this market as “Tokiolula” since it carried many counterfeit and cheap items from Asia. While the counterfeit goods were mostly eliminated in the 1980s, pirated CDs and DVDs, as well as other counterfeit goods have made their way back into the otherwise traditional market.
Political structure
As municipal seat, the city of Tlacolula is the governing authority for sixteen other named localities, the largest of which are San Marcos Tlapazola (pop.1114), San Luis del Rio (pop. 472) and Tanivé (pop. 247).Over 85% of the municipalities population of 16,510 (2005) lives in the city proper,(inegi) with just over 4,000 who speak an indigenous language. The municipality covers an area of 244.96km2 and borders the municipalities of Santa Ana del ValleSanta Ana del Valle
Santa Ana del Valle is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, Villa Díaz Ordaz
Villa Díaz Ordaz
Villa Díaz Ordaz is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....
, San Pablo Villa de Mitla
San Pablo Villa de Mitla
San Pablo de Mitla is a town and municipality in Mexico which is most famous for being the site of the Mitla archeological ruins.It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, Magdalena Teitipac
Magdalena Teitipac
Magdalena Teitipac is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 48.5 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, San Bartolomé Quialana
San Bartolomé Quialana
San Bartolomé Quialana is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 49.76 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, San Lucas Quiaviní
San Lucas Quiavini
San Lucas Quiavini is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 58.69 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, Santiago Matatlán
Santiago Matatlan
Santiago Matatlan a.k.a "World Capital Of Mezcal" is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, San Dionisio Ocotepec
San Dionisio Ocotepec
San Dionisio Ocotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 225.82 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, San Juan Guelavía
San Juan Guelavia
San Juan Guelavia is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 17.86 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, Santa Cruz Papalutla
Santa Cruz Papalutla
Santa Cruz Papalutla is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, San Lorenzo Albarradas
San Lorenzo Albarradas
San Lorenzo Albarradas is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
and San Pedro Quiatoni
San Pedro Quiatoni
San Pedro Quiatoni is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
.
Geography
The city is located in the Tlacolula Valley, with is a broad valley with rich, volcanic soils. The climate is a cross between steppe and savannah. It only receives about fifty millimeters of rain per year, but its relatively cool climate allows this to be just sufficient enough to be classified as humid. Most of this falls in the summer and fall. Within the valley, the ground is small plains broken up by rolling hills and small streams, with larger mountains on the municipality’s edge. Most of the wild plants consist of grasses with cactus and other arid area plants, such as mesquiteMesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
. Wildlife consists of small mammals such as rabbits, opossums and moles along some species of birds. Rarely, an eagle can be seen.
Economy
Tlacolula is an urban commercial center for this part of the central valleys region of Oaxaca. Only a small percentage (23%) of the municipal population is engaged in agriculture as a primary means of support. Most of the population is dedicated to commerce serving the Tlacolula district (50%) and the production crafts, mezcal and other items.(25%). In recent years, the production and sale of pirated items has increased significantly, especially at the weekly Sunday market. While tourism has not been a significant part of the economy, the municipality has taken steps to promote its attractions, such as the 16th century church and its archeological sites. The municipality also participates in the annual Guelaguetza festival in the city of Oaxaca to showcase its culture.The area still has serious problems with poverty, with many social services such as education, sanitation and health services insufficient or lacking. This is particularly true in the outlying areas. For this reason, many residents of the municipality has immigrated to the United States, mostly congregating in the Venice Beach area of southern California. Many Zapotec-speaking peoples from the area work in stalls along the boardwalk or as cooks, waiters and mains in the upscale restaurants and hotels of Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. So many live in this area that Zapotec is the mother tongue for about thirty percent of school children in certain neighborhoods.
Archeological sites and culture
Zapotec civilization
The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows their culture goes back at least 2500 years...
. The site was declared one of the country's four Natural Monument
Mexican Natural Monuments
Mexico's Natural Monuments are four federally-recognized protected natural areas that are administrated by the federal National Commission of Protected Natural Areas ....
s on 13 October 1998. The site is also known locally as Pueblo Viejo (Old Village) and was occupied at the time of the Spanish Conquest. After the Conquest the population was relocated to modern Tlacolula where their descendants still live. Yagul was first occupied around 500-100 BC. Around 500-700 AD, residential, civic and ceremonial structures were built at the site. However, most of the visible remains date to 1250-1521 AD, when the site functioned as the capital of a Postclassic
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
city-state. The site was excavated in the 1950s and 60s by archaeologists Ignacio Bernal
Ignacio Bernal
Ignacio Bernal was an eminent Mexican anthropologist and archaeologist.Bernal excavated much of Monte Albán, originally starting as a student of Alfonso Caso, and later led major archeological projects at Teotihuacan. In 1965 he excavated Dainzú...
and John Paddock.
More recently catalogued and recognized are a group of about one hundred caves and rock shelters in the Tlacolula Valley which are found in the Tlacolula and other municipalities. The significance of these caves is that many have pre-historic cave paintings and/or evidence of the transition of humans from hunter/gatherers to sedentary farmers due to the domestication of corn and other plants on the American continent. INAH has worked to recommended these caves to become a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
with investigation and documentation ongoing. The site was inscribed onto Mexico’s “Lista Indicativa de México” in the 2000s and WHS recognition was received in 2007.
The caves and rock shelters vary in size and what they contain. Many contain paintings and other forms of graphic representation. Contents include ceramics and stone tools. The corn materials show similarities to the first vestiges of the domestication of wheat and rye in the Middle East. One of the deepest caves is called the Cueva de la Paloma. The caves have been studied since the 1960s, especially the Cueva de Guilá Naquitz (white stone in Zapotec), which has some of the best evidence for the domestication of corn and squash, which dates back more than 10,000 years. Other caves, such as those near Yagual and Mitla confirm findings at Guilá Naquitz and show human occupation to about 8000 years BCE the sites also show similarities to the Head Smashed and Buffalo Jump Complex sites in Canada. Many more smaller caves with similar artifacts are thought to exist in the area.
One of the local legends is called “La Mujer Coyota” or The Coyote Woman. A young man who was well known for being honest and hardworking fell in love with a woman from another village. Courtship followed in the traditional manner, the two married and he went to live with her. Soon after, the woman confessed that she was a nagual
Nagual
In Mesoamerican folk religion, a Nagual or Nahual is a human being who has the power to magically turn him- or herself into an animal form: most commonly a donkey, turkey, or dog, but also other and more powerful animals such as the jaguar and puma.Such a Nagual is believed to use his powers for...
(an Aztec demon) in the form of a coyote. She told the man that if he let her change him into a coyote, they could be together forever. Being in love, the man accepted immediately. As a coyote, the man found that in order to survive, he needed to rob attack farm animals and eat the meat raw, which he had never done before. He also found that the other coyotes did not respect him, and sniffed about his woman. One day, his hunger took him to his old village and to the home of his former childhood friend. He tried to steal food from his friend, only to be attacked with a machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
. He friend cried that he was a no good coyote who had no idea how to earn his bread. Upon hearing this, the man felt shame. He returned to his wife as asked her to change him back into a man, which she did cursing. Returned to human form, the man killed his wife-coyote and returned to being an honest worker.
External links
- YouTube: TLACOLULA OAXACA - RESPONSOS
- YouTube: Tlacolula Market
- Photos of the town
- http://www.cotla.com/