ABSTRACT
The term Mixtec ‘Cloud People’ (Spanish Mixtecano) encompasses four indigenous groups of Mexico: Mixteco (476,000 people), Amuzgo (33,000), Trique (18,000), and Cuicatec (15,000). They are located in the Mixteca region of Mexico, divided into Mixteca Alta, Mixteca Baja, and Mixteca de la Costa—upper, lower, and coastal subregions, respectively. The region is a mostly mountainous area of about 30,000 square kilometers extending from northwestern Oaxaca State to the Atlantic coast, from eastern Guerrero State to the Atlantic coast, and in southeast Puebla. The Mixtec occupy practically the whole region, the Trique and Amuzgo reside within the region, and the Cuicatec are located on the northeastern side. Two non-Mixtecan groups, the Ixcatec and Chocho, also reside within the region. Outside neighboring groups of the Mixtecan people include the Mazatec, the Nahua, the Popoloca, the Tlapanec, and the Zapotec.
