Popoluca
Encyclopedia
Popoluca is a Nahuatl
term (meaning "gibberish, unintelligible speech") for various indigenous peoples of southeastern Veracruz
and Oaxaca
. Many of them (about 30,000.) speak languages of the Mixe–Zoque family. Others speak the unrelated Mazatecan languages
, in which case the name in English and Spanish is generally spelled Popoloca.
language meaning "to speak unintelligible" or "gibberish". When Spanish conquistadors asked their Nahuatl-speaking allies what language was spoken in a particular locality, the Nahuas would reply "popoloca" meaning in essence "not Nahuatl". The Nahuas used the term "popolōca" much in the same way the Greek used the term "barbaros", also meaning "gibberish", to refer to non-Greek speaking strangers.
The name however stuck to many languages and has caused some confusion even among linguists working with Native American languages. This confusion prompted some kind of distinction between Popoluca languages and the spelling "Popoluca" with an "u" became used for certain Mixe–Zoquean languages, while the spelling "Popoloca" with an "o" became used for certain languages of the Popolocan family of Oto-Manguean languages
. Note that the name "Popolocan" is also by linguists to refer to these languages, which include varieties of Mazatec
. In Nicaragua
, the Nahua-speaking Nicarao
used the term "Popoluca" for the speakers of the Matagalpa language
.
Although "Popoluca" and "Popoloca" are derogatory and confusing terms, they are still being used even in academic literature or official publications of the Mexican government.
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
term (meaning "gibberish, unintelligible speech") for various indigenous peoples of southeastern Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
. Many of them (about 30,000.) speak languages of the Mixe–Zoque family. Others speak the unrelated Mazatecan languages
Mazatecan languages
The Mazatecan languages are a group of closely related indigenous languages spoken by some 200,000 people in the area known as La Sierra Mazateca, which located in the Northern part of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, as well as in adjacent areas of the states of Puebla and Veracruz...
, in which case the name in English and Spanish is generally spelled Popoloca.
Various peoples called Popoluca
The Mixe–Zoque languages called Popoluca are,- MixeMixeThe Mixe or Mije is an indigenous group inhabiting the eastern highlands of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative than other indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this...
- Oluta PopolucaOluta PopolucaOluta Popoluca also called Olutec is a moribund Mixe–Zoquean language of the Mixean branch spoken by a few elderly people in the town of Oluta in Southern Veracruz, Mexico....
(Olutec Mixe or Olutec) - Sayula PopolucaSayula PopolucaSayula Popoluca, also called Sayultec, is a Mixe language spoken by around 4,000 indigenous people in and around the town of Sayula de Alemán in the southern part of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The language has been extensively studied by Lawrence E...
(Sayultec Mixe or Sayultec) - ZoqueZoqueThe Zoque are an indigenous people of Mexico; they speak variants of the Zoque languages.This group consists of 41,609 people, according to the 2000 census...
- San Andres TuxtlaSan Andrés TuxtlaThe municipio of San Andrés Tuxtla is located in the south-central portion of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its municipal seat is also called San Andrés Tuxtla, located 150 km from the city of Veracruz along Federal Highway 180 in the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas region.The municipality which...
- Sierra PopolucaSierra PopolucaSierra Popoluca, also sometimes referred to as Soteapanec, Soteapan Zoque, or Highland Popoluca, is a Mixe–Zoquean language of the Zoquean branch. It is spoken by around 30,000 indigenous Popoluca people in and around the town of Soteapan in the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas in southern Veracruz, Mexico...
(Soteapanec Zoque, Soteapan Zoque, Soteapaneco, or Soteapan Soke) - Texistepec PopolucaTexistepec PopolucaTexistepec Popoluca also called Texistepec Zoque is a Mixe–Zoquean language of the Zoquean branch spoken by around 400 indigenous Popoluca people in and around the town of Texistepec in Southern Veracruz, Mexico....
(Texistepec Zoque) - Zoque Popoluca
Origin and current use of the terms
The reason for the terms widespread usage for naming indigenous languages is that it is a derogatory word from the NahuatlNahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
language meaning "to speak unintelligible" or "gibberish". When Spanish conquistadors asked their Nahuatl-speaking allies what language was spoken in a particular locality, the Nahuas would reply "popoloca" meaning in essence "not Nahuatl". The Nahuas used the term "popolōca" much in the same way the Greek used the term "barbaros", also meaning "gibberish", to refer to non-Greek speaking strangers.
The name however stuck to many languages and has caused some confusion even among linguists working with Native American languages. This confusion prompted some kind of distinction between Popoluca languages and the spelling "Popoluca" with an "u" became used for certain Mixe–Zoquean languages, while the spelling "Popoloca" with an "o" became used for certain languages of the Popolocan family of Oto-Manguean languages
Oto-Manguean languages
Oto-Manguean languages are a large family comprising several families of Native American languages. All of the Oto-Manguean languages that are now spoken are indigenous to Mexico, but the Manguean branch of the family, which is now extinct, was spoken as far south as Nicaragua and Costa Rica.The...
. Note that the name "Popolocan" is also by linguists to refer to these languages, which include varieties of Mazatec
Mazatecan languages
The Mazatecan languages are a group of closely related indigenous languages spoken by some 200,000 people in the area known as La Sierra Mazateca, which located in the Northern part of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, as well as in adjacent areas of the states of Puebla and Veracruz...
. In Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, the Nahua-speaking Nicarao
Nicarao
Nicarao is the name of the capital city of the most populous indigenous tribe when the Spanish arrived in Nicaragua. Gil González Dávila, who first explored the area, came up with this Central American country's name by combining Nicarao and the Spanish word Agua, meaning water, after the two large...
used the term "Popoluca" for the speakers of the Matagalpa language
Matagalpa language
Matagalpa is an extinct Misumalpan language formerly spoken in the central highlands of Nicaragua. The language became extinct in the nineteenth century, and only few short wordlists remain. It was closely related to Cacaopera. The ethnic group, which numbers about 20,000 now speaks Spanish....
.
Although "Popoluca" and "Popoloca" are derogatory and confusing terms, they are still being used even in academic literature or official publications of the Mexican government.
External links
- Popoluca (Popoloca), America Indian Languages