San Martín Tilcajete (San Martín Tilcajete)
San Martín Tilcajete is a town and municipality located about 23 km from the city of Oaxaca, in the state of Oaxaca, in the south of Mexico. It is part of the Ocotlán District in the south of the Valles Centrales Region
The municipality is small and rural with all but seven of its 1,631 residents living in the town. It is a traditional and historically Zapotec village. The Zapotec language was lost three generations ago, but the municipal government falls under the legal category of “traditional uses and customs” based on ancient community norms. The community is best known for its production of “alebrijes,” which are wood carvings of real or fantastic creatures painted in bright colors and intricate patterns.
An early name for the area was Zapotitlán, referring to the large number of black sapote trees that were in the area; however, these trees are rare today. The current name is derived from the Nahuatl "Tilcaxitl" which means either “black earth depression or bowl” or “mountain of cochineal ink.” The first would refer to a dark fresh water spring, which today is located between Calle de Cajete and Avenida Progreso. The latter meaning would refer to the fact that in antiquity, residents here were known for making ink and dye from the cochineal insect. Another possible origin for the name comes from “tilmas” which is a traditional type of apron worn by workmen to protect clothes underneath and to carry things. Today tilmas are most often seen as part of the costume worn for the Danza de la Pluma. The prefix of San Martin was added in honor of the bishop of Tours, France.
Tilcajete is historically a Zapotec indigenous community, like the rest of the Ocotlán district that surrounds it. First settlements there date back to 1150 BCE. From that time to about 500–100 BCE, the entire Oaxaca Valley was filled with small independent villages. Sometime around the beginning of the Common Era, these villages began to coalesce into larger political units, via alliances or domination of neighbors. The rise of Monte Albán around 100 CE eventually finalized this process into a single hierarchy. As part of the Ocotlán territory, Tilcajete first became subject to El Mogote around 200 BCE. When this site was abandoned a short time later, the area saw the rise of another center in what is now called La Palenque. Warfare required the move of the community among three separate locations around this time. The Ocotlán region probably came under the domination of Monte Albán between 300 and 100 BCE, but some argue that the area was independent of Monte Albán until as late as 300 CE.
Charles Spencer and Elsa Redmond interpret the resistance shown by the Tilcajete polity in Ocotlán/Zimatlán not only as a reaction to Monte Albán’s aggression, but also as a dynamic force that drove the evolutionary trajectory of the Monte Albán state itself.
After being integrated into the Monte Albán domination, nearby Cerro Tilcajete was established around 100 BCE as a secondary administrative center for the region. This center was primarily active between 100 BCE and 200 CE. This time corresponds to the Monte Albán II stage. The officials at Cerro Tilcajete were local administrators for the area under the command of Monte Albán. Cerro Tilcajete was the smallest of the three major secondary centers with Dainzú and El Mogote being larger. The population at the centers height is estimated to have been between 800 and 1600 people. At the end of this Monte Albán II, the administrative center was mostly abandoned. It was reoccupied during Monte Albán IIIb-IV, but this reoccupation was limited to the site’s two civic-ceremonial and the terraces north and east, with the rest untouched.
The present day community dates back to about 1600, but the construction date of the parish church is not known. The town has been considered to be a municipality since 1883, when it had 858 inhabitants. Despite its Zapotec heritage, the Zapotec language was lost here about three generations ago. However, its culture remains strong enough that it was recognized as an “autonomous community” in the district of Ocotlán in 1981. The political system is registered under the “traditional uses and customs” or hierarchical system of communal duties and obligations organized through male-headed households. Male heads of households pay quotas and provide unremunerated community service.
The municipality has been in conflict with neighboring Villa de Zaachila for over thirty years over territory since boundaries were retraced unilaterally by Villa de Zaachila. The dispute has intensified over the past four years as Villa de Zaachila has moved to construct roads, clear forests and build housing on the disputed territory, which mostly has been used as communal farmland for Tilcajete for about eighty farmers. The land in dispute covers 410 hectares in areas known as Rancho Viejo, La Cuesta, Ojo de Agua, Antena, La Cantera, Loma Grande, El Puente, La Guajolota, El Pitayo and others.
The municipality is small and rural with all but seven of its 1,631 residents living in the town. It is a traditional and historically Zapotec village. The Zapotec language was lost three generations ago, but the municipal government falls under the legal category of “traditional uses and customs” based on ancient community norms. The community is best known for its production of “alebrijes,” which are wood carvings of real or fantastic creatures painted in bright colors and intricate patterns.
An early name for the area was Zapotitlán, referring to the large number of black sapote trees that were in the area; however, these trees are rare today. The current name is derived from the Nahuatl "Tilcaxitl" which means either “black earth depression or bowl” or “mountain of cochineal ink.” The first would refer to a dark fresh water spring, which today is located between Calle de Cajete and Avenida Progreso. The latter meaning would refer to the fact that in antiquity, residents here were known for making ink and dye from the cochineal insect. Another possible origin for the name comes from “tilmas” which is a traditional type of apron worn by workmen to protect clothes underneath and to carry things. Today tilmas are most often seen as part of the costume worn for the Danza de la Pluma. The prefix of San Martin was added in honor of the bishop of Tours, France.
Tilcajete is historically a Zapotec indigenous community, like the rest of the Ocotlán district that surrounds it. First settlements there date back to 1150 BCE. From that time to about 500–100 BCE, the entire Oaxaca Valley was filled with small independent villages. Sometime around the beginning of the Common Era, these villages began to coalesce into larger political units, via alliances or domination of neighbors. The rise of Monte Albán around 100 CE eventually finalized this process into a single hierarchy. As part of the Ocotlán territory, Tilcajete first became subject to El Mogote around 200 BCE. When this site was abandoned a short time later, the area saw the rise of another center in what is now called La Palenque. Warfare required the move of the community among three separate locations around this time. The Ocotlán region probably came under the domination of Monte Albán between 300 and 100 BCE, but some argue that the area was independent of Monte Albán until as late as 300 CE.
Charles Spencer and Elsa Redmond interpret the resistance shown by the Tilcajete polity in Ocotlán/Zimatlán not only as a reaction to Monte Albán’s aggression, but also as a dynamic force that drove the evolutionary trajectory of the Monte Albán state itself.
After being integrated into the Monte Albán domination, nearby Cerro Tilcajete was established around 100 BCE as a secondary administrative center for the region. This center was primarily active between 100 BCE and 200 CE. This time corresponds to the Monte Albán II stage. The officials at Cerro Tilcajete were local administrators for the area under the command of Monte Albán. Cerro Tilcajete was the smallest of the three major secondary centers with Dainzú and El Mogote being larger. The population at the centers height is estimated to have been between 800 and 1600 people. At the end of this Monte Albán II, the administrative center was mostly abandoned. It was reoccupied during Monte Albán IIIb-IV, but this reoccupation was limited to the site’s two civic-ceremonial and the terraces north and east, with the rest untouched.
The present day community dates back to about 1600, but the construction date of the parish church is not known. The town has been considered to be a municipality since 1883, when it had 858 inhabitants. Despite its Zapotec heritage, the Zapotec language was lost here about three generations ago. However, its culture remains strong enough that it was recognized as an “autonomous community” in the district of Ocotlán in 1981. The political system is registered under the “traditional uses and customs” or hierarchical system of communal duties and obligations organized through male-headed households. Male heads of households pay quotas and provide unremunerated community service.
The municipality has been in conflict with neighboring Villa de Zaachila for over thirty years over territory since boundaries were retraced unilaterally by Villa de Zaachila. The dispute has intensified over the past four years as Villa de Zaachila has moved to construct roads, clear forests and build housing on the disputed territory, which mostly has been used as communal farmland for Tilcajete for about eighty farmers. The land in dispute covers 410 hectares in areas known as Rancho Viejo, La Cuesta, Ojo de Agua, Antena, La Cantera, Loma Grande, El Puente, La Guajolota, El Pitayo and others.
Map - San Martín Tilcajete (San Martín Tilcajete)
Map
Country - Mexico
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| MXV | Mexican Unidad de Inversion | 2 | |
| MXN | Mexican peso | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| ES | Spanish language |