Los Zapotecos: Monografia Historica, Etnografica y Economica

lxvi+604 pages with numerous fold out reproductions, maps, illustrations and tables. Quarto (12" x 8" ) issued in wrappers. Lucio Medieta y Nunez, Ensayo Sociologico sbre los Zapotecos; Geologo Raul Lozano Garcia, Bosquejo Fisiografico y Geologico del Estado de Oaxaca; Francisco Rojas Gonzalez, Los Zapotecos en la Epoca Prehispanica; Francisco Rojas Gonzalez Los Zapotecos en la Epoca Colonial; Francisco Rojas Gonzales, Los Zapotecos en la Epoca Independiente; Francisco Rojas Gonzalez and Roberto de la Cerda Silva, Etnografia General de Los Zapotecos; Jose Gomez Robleda, Alfonso Quiroz, Luis Argoytia and Adan Mercado, Estudio Biotipologico; Mauricio Swadesh, El Edioma de Los Zapotecos; Carlos H Alba and Jesus Cristerna, La Agricultura entre Los Zapotecos; Carlos H Alba and Jesus Cristerna, Las Industrias Zapotecas. From the library of George M Foster. 1st edition.

The Zapotecs were once one of the most dominant ethnic groups in the region now known as Oaxaca. The early Zapotecs were a sedentary group, relying mostly on agricultural means to survive. They worshipped a pantheon of gods, the foremost of which was Cosijo, the rain god, symbolized by the jaguar and the snake, symbols common in Mesoamerican cultures. Religious rites sometimes included human sacrifice. Aside from the gods, Zapotecs also worshipped their ancestors and emphasized the concept of death. The splendid city of Monte Alban was the Zapotecs' main cultural center, the place in which their rich and fascinating civilization flourished for about 2,000 years. Today, Monte Alban is considered one of the most majestic cultural centers in all of Middle America. Monte Alban is a complex array of pyramids and platforms built on a mountain range overlooking the valleys. It was built in honor of the Zapotec gods and in celebration of the military victories of the Zapotec people. By 700 A.D., Monte Alban had become the capital of the Zapotec land and home to some 250,000 people. The Zapotecs struggled against another mighty group, the Mixtecs, for control over their vast lands. By the 15th century, both these groups faced another worthy adversary, the Aztecs, who were trying to dominate the trade routes of Chiapas and Guatemala. The Zapotecs managed to maintain political autonomy, thanks mostly to their greatest king, Cosijoeza. When the Spanish arrived, however, the whole region became subject to the their forces Today, the Zapotecs are composed mostly of two groups, those in the Southern mountains, and those residing in the southern half of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Many elements of Zapotec culture are still ingrained in Oaxacan life, influencing customs, dress, songs, and literature.

George McClelland Foster, Jr born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on October 9, 1913, died on May 18, 2006, at his home in the hills above the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as a professor from 1953 to his retirement in 1979, when he became professor emeritus. His contributions to anthropological theory and practice still challenge us; in more than 300 publications, his writings encompass a wide diversity of topics, including acculturation, long-term fieldwork, peasant economies, pottery making, public health, social structure, symbolic systems, technological change, theories of illness and wellness, humoral medicine in Latin America, and worldview. The quantity, quality, and long-term value of his scholarly work led to his election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1976. Virtually all of his major publications have been reprinted and/or translated. Provenance from the executor of Foster's library laid in.

Condition:

Foster s stamp on title and front wrapper, edge wear, spine sunned, backstrip coming undone along front edge, else a very good copy.