Mixtec People

Hello, we are the Ñuu Savi. In our language, this name means the “People of the Rain,” and it connects us to the land where our ancestors have lived for thousands of years. You may also know us as the Mixtec people. Our story is very old, stretching back into the deep past of a beautiful, mountainous region in what is now the country of Mexico. This special place, our homeland, is called La Mixteca. It is a rugged land of high peaks and deep valleys that covers parts of the modern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Puebla. Living in the mountains shaped our culture and taught us how to work with the land in clever ways.

For much of our history, we did not form a single, large empire ruled by one person. Instead, we organized ourselves into many different city-states. Each of these communities had its own ruler and governed itself. Some of our most well-known kingdoms were named Tilantongo and Tututepec. These city-states were independent, and like neighbors everywhere, their relationships could be complicated. Sometimes they fought with one another over land or resources. However, they also found ways to work together. One important way our kingdoms created peace and made alliances was through marriage, which connected ruling families and built strong bonds between different communities.

Beyond our skills in governing, we have always been known as talented artists and craftspeople. Our ancestors created breathtaking jewelry using precious materials from the earth. They skillfully worked with gold and turquoise, crafting intricate pieces that were worn by nobles and used in important ceremonies. We are also famous for our painted books, which are called codices. These were not books with pages of words like you might read today. Instead, they were made of long strips of deer hide or bark paper that folded up like an accordion. On these pages, our scribes and artists painted detailed pictures and symbols to record our history, our beliefs, and the stories of our great leaders and families. These codices are like colorful windows into our past.

Life for most of our people has always been connected to the earth and the food it provides. For countless generations, we have been farmers, growing the same important foods that sustained our ancestors. We planted fields of corn, beans, and squash, which were the foundation of our meals. Farming in our homeland of La Mixteca presented a special challenge because of all the steep mountains. It is difficult to plant crops on a sharp slope. To solve this problem, we developed a brilliant method of farming. We carefully built terraces on the mountainsides, which are like giant steps carved into the land. These terraces created flat, level ground where we could plant our crops. Building them required great skill in engineering and construction, and they stand as a powerful example of how we adapted to and reshaped the world around us.

Today, our culture is still alive and strong. We are not just a people from history books. Hundreds of thousands of Mixtec people live today, both in our homeland in Mexico and in other parts of the world where our families have moved. We carry our heritage with us and work to keep our traditions thriving for the next generation. We continue to speak our languages, which connect us directly to our ancestors. We also pass down our unique forms of music, our vibrant dances, and our detailed crafts. Through these traditions, we share the story of the Ñuu Savi, the People of the Rain, with our children and the world.