THE 5 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MIXTECS - HISTORY - 2025

Among the contributions of the Mixtecs, those made in fields such as agriculture, the elaboration of codices or, especially, goldsmithing stand out. In fact, they are considered the best artisans in all of Mesoamerica.

The Mixtecs were one of the main cultures of pre-Hispanic America. They lived in an area covering 40,000 km ², from northern to southern Oaxaca Puebla over the eastern region of the state of Guerrero.

This territory was known as Mixtlan, which means "Place of Clouds". In their language, the Mixtecs called themselves Ñuu Savi, “people of the rain”.

There is evidence of its presence in these lands since the 2nd century BC. C, although its apogee took place between the 11th and 15th centuries.

Main contributions of the Mixtec

The Mixtec culture stands out above all for its crafts and the handling of metals. They have also bequeathed us valuable codices that give us great information about them.

1- Crafts

The fame of Mixtec crafts crossed the borders of its territory. Among his most outstanding works we find tools made of obsidian and bone engravings.

Special mention deserves his treatment of ceramics and, above all, the polychrome decoration. With this technique they showed part of their religious beliefs as representations of the god of fire.

Samples of Mixtec creations have been found in Monte Negro or Puebla, where the so-called colossal heads appeared, a good example of the mastery they achieved.

2- Goldsmith

The way of working the metal of the Mixtec people also deserved the consideration of all their neighbors.

His great expertise can be seen especially in his works made with gold. This was called "the excrement of the gods" and it was used to create pieces like those found on Monte Albán: a fantastic offering deposited in the tomb of an important character.

The Mixtecs developed various ways of working metal. Thus they used hammering, created different alloys or carved exquisite filigrees.

3- Agriculture

The advances they made in the field of agriculture were a consequence of the places where they lived.

These, apart from being at a high altitude, used to be poor in water resources. For this reason they were forced to create irrigation systems that would allow them to collect a good harvest.

The use of agricultural tools should also be noted. In many cases they themselves had to invent tools that allowed them to work the land.

They managed to plant and control corn, which until then had been in the wild and ended up being a very important part of their diet.

4- Day of the dead

According to some experts, the Mixtecs may have been the inspirers of one of the most popular festivities in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, although there are other opinions that distribute the credit among various pre-Hispanic peoples.

The truth is that for this culture death was not considered an end, but a portal to another existence next to the gods.

When someone died they were buried with numerous objects, in order to make their trip to Mictlán, the place of the dead, easier.

Once a year, they honored the deceased with a great festival coinciding with the time of the beginning of the harvest.

5- Codices and writing

The Mixtecs created their own form of writing based on a logographic-pictographic system. Thanks to this method, they would record the genealogy of each family and the events that occurred in their communities.

These stories were recorded in codices that have become one of the greatest legacies of this culture.

Made with deerskin, they are a clear example of the great skill of their authors. They were of such quality that they constitute the majority of the surviving codices after the Spanish conquest.

References

1. Mindek, Dubravka, Mixtecos, indigenous peoples of Contemporary Mexico (2003). Recovered from www.gob.mx
2. The Mixtec Culture (2008). Taken from Mexican Archeology no. 90, pp. 24-25. Obtained from www.arqueologiamexicana.mx
3. Soustelle, Jacques, The Sacred and the Profane (July 1984). Recovered from unesdoc.unesco.org
4. Maldonado, Blanca E. (2005). "Tarascan copper metallurgy at the Itziparátzico site, Michoacán, Mexico". Retrieved from www.famsi.org
5. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Mixtec (1988). Retrieved from www.britannica.com.