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About these galleries: Over the past five years I have made three trips to the Mazatec region of Oaxaca. It is a magical place with strong roots in the old ways. The textile traditions of the upper Mazatec, centered round Huautla has diminished, however the town of the lower Mazatec region like Ayautla and Jalapa de Diaz maintain there traditions but they are at risk.
The Mazateca people live in the northeast corner of the State of Oaxaca, however due to the construction of the Miguel Alemán dam in 1954 a number of villages were displaced and moved to the state of Vera Cruz. There are approximately 125,000 Mazatecas living in two distinct geographic regions in Oaxaca. The language is classified as the Otomange group, Savizaa branch, Mazateca-Popoluca family.
The upper region which is centered around Huautla de Jimenez and the lower region which is centered on the River Papaloapan basin. The lower region is hot and humid with abundant rain fall and the upper region is temperate with summer rains.
The agricultural patterns vary according the location but as with most Indian groups corn, squash, chili and beans are staple crops. In the lower regions there is also coffee cultivation, sugar cane and fishing in the lake formed by the Miguel Alemán dam. The sugar cane is used to make a whisky called aguardiente which is high proof alcoholic drink. In the upper regions where forest abound there is wood working industry.
The Mazatec conserve many of their traditional values and mythical beliefs. The use of curanderos (healers) is a common practice and there are many sacred places throughout the region.
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