The Riddles Zapotec are a good way to meet this integrated macrolanguage different languages in Mexico Zapotecs. It is part of the Ottomango trunk of Mesoamerican languages, along with the Mixtec, Mazatec and Popoloca languages, among others.
Zapotec languages are spoken mainly in the states of Oaxaca and in the southeastern region of Veracruz, in southern Mexico. The culture that speaks this language has an approximate age of 2500 years and its history has been known through the Mixtec-Zapotec codices that were written on deer skin with hieroglyphic symbols.
Zapotec is one of the 15 languages of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and one of those with the most speakers (more than 400 thousand).
The Zapotec term derives from the Nahuatl "Tzapotéecatl" and means the town of the Zapote, although originally, this town called itself "ben'zaa" or "binni záa" which roughly translates as "people of the clouds."
Regarding its morphology, it is a tonal language in which the order or syntax is generally: Verb Subject Object (VSO). Nouns here have no article. Gender can be implicit in the meaning of the word and the number can be revealed by the noun.
Zapotec expresses causation in two ways: synthetic, using a causative verb directly; and analytical, which uses another verb to express that causation.
As a curiosity, to point out that a historical figure of Mexico whose origin is Zapotec is Benito Juárez.
20 curious riddles in Zapotec about animals
1- Za zan tleino Iztactetzintli quetzalli conmantica?
Translation: What is like a white stone, that quetzal feathers sprout from it?
2- See tosaasaanil, be tosaasaanil Xisiwi! sitlaalin kwepooni pilkatok kwetlaxak
Translation: Pick him up and hurry up as the stars bloom and there are already huaraches hanging.
3- Ti mañ riataw zëë 'or kya'l no rkë nwe chu kyal; nool llok nwe. Chu mañ na? ……….. (mlli'ts)
Translation: It is an animal that goes to eat corn at night, it is found near the cornfield; has long nails. What animal is?
4- Ti mañ ryiit yzas kya'l no rkëë nwe rets or nwdzil kët ti mën. Chu mañ na? ……….. (mgu)
Translation: It is an animal that comes every night and screams when someone is about to die. What animal is?
5- Ti mañ raw mañ nguhytl, ngas rna nwe, nool yën nwe, no chok nwe rna nixneh. Chu mañ na? ………….. (ngol) By: Ángel Cruz Jerónimo
Translation: It is a small animal and lives in water, eats sand and has no feet. It has two small wings (fins) and people eat them. What animal is?
6- Ti mañ ndzi'b chohp nii'y, raw nwe ndzoo'b, ndzi'b xi'l nwe, no rkëë nwe tii or rzi'l. Chu mañ na) ……………….. (kay)
Translation: It is an animal that has two legs, eats corn, has wings, and sings in the morning. What animal is?
7- Ti mañ ndzu lë'n nihs, xo malbiuw nwe, ti'ts choo 'nwe, or raa'y nwe o rkyeex nwe, rahk nixne nwe. Chu mañ na? ……….. (nwxuun)
Translation: It is an animal that lives in water, it is like shrimp but bigger, when it is cooked or roasted it turns red. What animal is?
8- Wroobto mañ lëhs ngas ndzu lë'n liuu no rluux nwe kye ', yrehs nwe rkë tsi'n or kya'l. Chu mañ na? ………………. (Mioo'b)
Translation: They are quite small black animals, they live inside the earth and destroy the flowers. They all work at night. What animal is?
9- Ti mañ ndzi'b tahp nii'y no ndzi'b lux nwe, rzob nwe chu yarteh no raw nwe mzin. Chu mañ na? ………………….. (bi'ch)
Translation: It is an animal that has four legs and has whiskers, sits on the bracero and eats mice. What animal is?
10- Ti mañ wi'n ndzi'b chohp xi'l nwe, no rxobe nwe, rkëë nwe tii or rzi'l, rzob nwe lo yak no raw nwe mits wañ. Chu mañ na? ………… (mkyin)
Translation: It is a small animal with two wings, flies, sings in the morning, sits in the trees and feeds on seeds from the field. What animal is?
11- Ti mañ wi'n ndzi'b tahp nii'y, ndzu nwe lë'n ytaa ', nduxt lay nwe, no raw nwe ndzoo'b. Chu mañ na? …………… (mzin)
Translation: It is a small animal that has four legs, lives under stones, has sharp teeth, and eats corn. What animal is?
12- Ti ku'n top zaaks, ti ku'n rniits xni canvasa or kya'l no rkuintna, ndzi'b ka'y chokna. Pë ku'n na? …………. (bad)
Translation: It is something very beautiful, something that gives us light at night and does not move, it has five peaks. What is it?
13- Ti mañ ndzi'b tahp nii'y, rkëë nwe troht or raw nwe kyiix, rnalo mën nwe, ro'y nwe yu'w. Chu mañ na? …………………… (kuay)
Translation: It is an animal that has four legs, it runs while feeding on herbs, people use them to carry their loads. What animal is?
14- Ti mañ tahp nii'y, nool no nlëhs lots nwe, riaw ready 'nwe tsin no roo' nwe yob kyehk mañ. Chu mañ na? ………… (me'ts tsin)
Translation: It is an animal with four legs, its tongue is long and thin, it likes to eat honey and also the brains of animals. What animal is?
15- Ti mañ wi'n no ndzi'b tahp nii'y, be'y xo mzin nwe, ndxe xpa'n nwe, lë nwe ndzu lë'n ytaa ', riaw ready' nwe kaw nwe nkyit. Chu mañ na? …………………….. (meybëë)
Translation: It is a small animal and it has four legs, it looks like a mouse, it has a tail, it lives under stones, it likes to eat chickens. What animal is?
16- Kure 'raw mën no rkëna lo luhyts, mbeena no rna ngëts na. Pë ku'n na? ……………… (kyahtku)
Translation: This is eaten by people and given in vines, it is large and yellow in color. What is it?
17- Ti mañ wi'n kyiitree ', no ndzi'b tahp nii'y, Ndzu nwe lë'n liuu, no rluux nwe yayniy. Chu mañ na? …………………. (Me'y)
Translation: It is a small and paunchy animal, it has four legs, lives under the ground and destroys banana trees. What animal is?
18- Topte nlë rna na, ndzi'bna no rbi'bna loht pa, ndal xna na, top rbi'bna mioo kyon no mioo ytahp lë'n liin. Pë nahk ku're? …………………… (kye ')
Translation: They look very pretty, they can be found anywhere, they are of different colors, there are many in the third and fourth months of the year. What are they?
19- Ti mañ wi'n ndzu lë'n nihs, raw nwe yuux no kyent niy nwe. Ndzi'b chohp xi'l nwe, nlëhsna, no raw mën nwe. Chu mañ na? ………….. (bad)
Translation: It is an animal that likes to eat corpses, it is black, has long nails and its beak is red. What animal is?
20-Ti mañ ngas rxobeh lo bë ', riaw ready' nwe kaw nwe nkyit. Chu mañ na? ………….. (msiy)
Translation: It is a black animal that flies in the sky and likes to eat chickens. What animal is?
Answers
- The onion.
- Guamúchil.
- Badger.
- The owl.
- Fish.
- The rooster.
- Lobster.
- The ants.
- The cat.
- The bird.
- The mouse.
- The star.
- Pack animal or beast (mule, donkey, etc).
- The anteater.
- The cacomixtle.
- The pumpkin.
- The gopher.
- Flowers.
- The buzzard.
- The eagle or the hawk.
References
- History of Mexico (2012). Zapotec. Recovered from: historia-mexico.info.
- Rojas Torres, Rosa María, "The causative constructions in the Zapotec", in Anthropological Dimension, vol. 30, January-April, 2004, pp. 129-144. Available at: dimensionantropologica.inah.gob.mx.
- Schrader –Kniffki, Martina (2004). Introduction to the Zapotec language and culture. Recovered from: books.google.co.ve.
- Zapotec from Xanica (2014). Xanica's children's riddles. Creations of the children participating in the Zapotec Literacy Workshop of Xanica, Sierra Sur, held in October 2001 in Santiago Xanica. Recovered from: zapotecodexanica.blogspot.com.