The history of the Tz’utujil Mayan people is a colorful one.
The first documentation of the people begins in the “Post classic period” or
A.D. 1200-1524. The Tz’utujil arrived as small bands of warriors, entering the
Lake Atitlan region, which is now their homeland. Along with them came the
ancestors of the Quiches and Cakchiqueles or Kaqchikel, who are neighboring
cultures. At this point the Quiche were the dominant culture in the area. It is unclear who arrived in Guatemala first,
but by 1250, the Tzutujiles were settled around the lake. Sometime around 1470,
the Tzutujiles took part in a great revolt against the Quiche Empire, resulting
in its fall. The Tz’utujil then became even more militaristic, until a period
of strife occurred between the remaining quiches and also the Cakchiqueles,
which ended their rule. When the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in 1524, the
Kaqchikel had seized a majority of their territory. When the Spanish arrived, they enlisted the
Kaqchikel to help in their conquest of the Tz’utujil. The people then had
absolutely no rights and were treated as the property of their conquerors. They took their land, and made the people
purchase overpriced goods and also influenced a huge population decline. In-between
1524-1547, the population went from 48,000 to 5,600. A lot of that decline was
due to diseases brought by the Spanish. Not only were they treated terribly,
but they also were sometimes chosen to be a slave and each family were subject
to send a tribute to the current head of the town. By the late 19th century,
Guatemala began to mass produce coffee, which took away a plethora of the already
slim, remaining Tz’utujil lands. There was a severe amount of land loss, just
as their population was rebounding lead to many difficulties the culture faces
today.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Intro to the Tz'utujil Maya people
I am embarking on a journey for information about the Tz'utujil Mayan Indians of Midwestern highlands of Guatemala. I plan to find as much knowledge about their culture as I can without actually visiting the people. So by searching through books and over the Internet, and maybe even interact with someone from the culture, whether in person or through technology, I should be able to inform anyone who wishes to know about the Tz'utujil Maya people. Over the next few weeks I will have different posts about all of the aspects of the culture and here are the links to those posts.
www.etniamaya.com
- History of the Tz'utujil
- Guatemala, Homeland of the Tz'utujil
- World of the Tz'utujil
- Tz'utujil Cosmos
- Birds of the Tz'utujil
- Tz'utujil and neighbors
- T'zutujil Migrations and Diaspora
- Interview
- Tz'utujil Cultural survival
- References
www.etniamaya.com
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