Tseltali

Zeltali (appreciated, sandal, celtal, self-designation - "come from the side") - the Indian people of the Maya group in Mexico , in the state of Chiapas .

Number - approx. 64 thousand people Religion - Catholicism , retain traditional beliefs. Sometimes they use the name Tseltal-Tsotsil, given the close kinship of these peoples. In ancient times, they took part in the creation of a high Mayan civilization and stubbornly resisted the Spaniards in the 16-18 centuries.

Content

Language

The Tzeltal language belongs to the western branch of the Mayan family . It has three dialects that correspond to ethnographic groups: bachaole (northern), mountain (central), plain (southern). They also speak Spanish.

Traditional Activities

The main occupations are manual farming, hunting, fishing, beekeeping. They grow corn, beans, pumpkin, sugarcane, vegetables. Chickens and pigs are also bred. Men also work in coffee plantations.

Traditional crafts - pottery, hand weaving, weaving, etc. Wool and products from it are bought from tsotsile .

Clothing: for men - short pants to the knees, a red belt, in the mountains they wear a dark white striped chamarra ( poncho ), sandals, a straw hat with a pointed top. The elders put on a bright shawl under the hat. Women wear dark skirts with a red belt, weeping (ornamented on holidays), reboso , red threads are woven into the hair. Traditional clothing in each community has its own characteristics. Creole clothing is common.

Social Organization

The family of the goalies is large and small. Marriage is patriotic and neolocal. Widespread mining or ransom for the bride . Polygyny is rare. Saved patrilineal lines and clans . Large settlements are divided into 2 autonomous, often endogamous quarters (calpuli), which are ruled by leaders and healers, members of the council of communities. There is also a division into three exogamous phratries . Each line has its own cemetery and sanctuary. In some places, there is a custom of burial under the floor of dwellings.

Traditional Beliefs

Pre-Hispanic cults of the gods of rain, wind, crosses, ancestors, “talking saints” (family oracles stored in boxes on the home altar), mountains, primarily the goddess Mount Ikal Ahau (“Lord of the Wind”), nagalism , witchcraft, witchcraft and etc. There is a tradition of treating in steam baths.

The main holiday is the New Year, when community leaders change. The days of saints are celebrated.

Literature

Encyclopedia " Peoples and religions of the world ", M.-1989.
Encyclopedia "Latin America", Volume 2, p. 1605, M.-1982.
Its R.F. Introduction to Ethnography. Leningrad −1974