The Mazateco people, who refer to themselves as Ha shuta Enima (“people of the holy land”), are an Indigenous group primarily located in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca, with smaller populations in Puebla and Veracruz. Archaeological evidence and colonial records attest to their presence in the Sierra Mazateca region since pre-Hispanic times, with continuous cultural resilience through Spanish colonization to the present.
Mazateco territory comprises mountainous forests and river valleys, including municipalities such as Huautla de Jiménez, Mazatlán Villa de Flores, and Eloxochitlán de Flores Magón. According to the 2020 INEGI census, approximately 164,000 people speak the Mazateco language, making it one of the major Oto-Manguean language groups in Oaxaca. Mazateco belongs to the Popolocan branch of the Oto-Manguean language family, with several dialectal variants corresponding to geographic zones.
Mazateco cosmogony emphasizes a profound spiritual connection to natural elements, with traditional beliefs centered on sacred mountains, water sources, and the use of medicinal plants, notably psychoactive mushrooms (teonanácatl) used in shamanic ceremonies. Deities and ancestral spirits govern agricultural cycles, healing rituals, and communal well-being.
Cultural expressions include ritual music, dance, and textile weaving, often featuring geometric patterns symbolizing cosmic order and natural phenomena. Mazateco shamanism, medicine, and oral narratives form an integral part of their identity, preserving knowledge systems that bridge empirical healing and spiritual practice.
Important cultural dates align with agricultural seasons and ceremonial cycles, including the Day of the Dead, patron saint festivals, and traditional healing ceremonies that attract national and international attention for their cultural significance.
The Mexican Library’s Mazateco section is dedicated to preserving linguistic materials, ethnobotanical documentation, ritual texts, audio-visual archives of healing ceremonies, textile arts, and community histories. These resources foster Indigenous cultural revitalization, scholarly study, and intercultural education under respectful and collaborative frameworks.
Bibliography and References:
- INEGI (2020). Censo de Población y Vivienda—Mazateco language speaker statistics.
- Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas (INALI). Catálogo de las Lenguas Indígenas Nacionales—Mazateco linguistic classification.
- Ethnologue (2023). Mazatec language entry—dialects and vitality status.
- Wasson, R. Gordon (1980). The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica. McGraw-Hill.
- Joyce, Arthur A. (1982). The Mazatec Healing Ceremony. University of New Mexico Press.
- INAH reports on Mazateco archaeological and cultural heritage sites.
- UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. Mazateco language status and revitalization programs.
- Academic articles on Oto-Manguean ethnolinguistics and Indigenous medicine.
- Community-led publications and oral histories from Mazateco municipalities.