The internal classification of
Mixtec
The Mixtecs (), or Mixtecos, are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico inhabiting the region known as La Mixteca of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as La Montaña Region and Costa Chica Regions of the state of Guerrero. The Mixtec Culture w ...
is controversial. Many varieties are
mutually unintelligible
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. It is sometimes used as an ...
and by that criterion separate languages. In the 16th century, Spanish authorities recognized half a dozen ''lenguas'' comprising the Mixtec ''lengua''. (See
#Classical Mixtec.) It is not clear to what extent these were distinct languages at the time. Regardless, the colonial disintegration of the Mixtec nation and resulting isolation of local communities led to the rapid diversification of local dialects into distinct languages. Below are some attempts at Mixtec classification by various scholars.
Geographic divisions
Josserand (1983:106) lists 5 major geographic (not linguistic) divisions of Mixtec, which together cover a total of about 25,000 square kilometers. Enclaves of Amuzgo, Trique, Cuicatec, Ixcatec, and Chocho speakers are scattered nearby.
#Puebla Mixtec
#Guerrero Mixtec
#Mixteca Baja
#Mixteca Alta
#Mixteca de la Costa
Colonial divisions
De los Reyes, in his ''Arte de Lengua Mixteca'' (1593), spoke of half a dozen ''lenguas'' in the Mixtec ''lengua''. To these, his contemporaries added the dialects of Guerrero:
*the ''lengua'' of
Teposcolula, including the major communities of
Tamazulapan,
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
,
Texupa, and
Mitlatongo (Jiménez-Moreno:
Tepozcolula–
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
; the prestige dialect chosen by de los Reyes)
*the ''lengua'' of
Yanhuitlán, incl.
Coixtlahuaca
Coixtlahuaca ( Chocho: ''Nguichee;'' Mixtec: ''Yodzocoo;'' Nahuatl: ''Coaixtlahuacan'') was a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican state in the Mixteca Alta (now in Oaxaca, Mexico). Coixtlahuaca was a multi-ethnic polity, inhabited by both Chochos and ...
,
Xaltepec
Magdalena Jaltepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in southwestern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 184.99 km². It is part of the Nochixtlán District in the southeast of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the ...
, and
Nochixtlán (Jiménez-Moreno:
Yuanhuitlán–
Cuilapan
Cuilapan de Guerrero is a town and municipality located in the central valley region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It is to the south of the capital city of Oaxaca on the road leading to Villa de Zaachila, and is in the Centro District in the ...
)
*the ''lengua'' of
Tlaxiaco
Tlaxiaco is a city, and its surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located in the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region, with a population of about 17,450.
The city is formally known as Her ...
and
Achiutla
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thum ...
(the prestige dialect chosen by Hernández)
*the ''lengua'' of the
Mixteca Baja
La Mixteca is a cultural, economic and political region in Western Oaxaca and neighboring portions of Puebla, Guerrero in south-central Mexico, which refers to the home of the Mixtec people. In their languages, the region is called either Ñuu Djau ...
*the ''lengua'' of
Cuilapa
Cuilapa, also known as Santa Rosa Cuilapa, is a town, with a population of 41,359 (2018 census), in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of the department of Santa Rosa and as the administrative seat for the surrounding municipality of Cuilapa.
...
and
Guaxolotitlán in the
Valley of Oaxaca
The Central Valleys ( es, Valles Centrales) of Oaxaca, also simply known as the Oaxaca Valley, is a geographic region located within the modern-day state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. In an administrative context, it has been defined as comprising ...
(Jiménez-Moreno:
Cuauhxochpan–
Cuyamecalco)
*the ''lengua'' of the
Mixteca de la Costa
La Mixteca is a cultural, economic and political region in Western Oaxaca and neighboring portions of Puebla, Guerrero in south-central Mexico, which refers to the home of the Mixtec people. In their languages, the region is called either Ñuu Dja ...
*the Mixtec of Guerrero
Josserand found that native mundane writing of the colonial era corresponded well to de los Reyes; based on phonological and orthographic consistencies, she divides the dialects into five groups, as follows:
*the Baja area around
Huajuapan (though there were multiple varieties in Baja, more than de los Reyes recognized)
*the
Oaxaca Valley
The Central Valleys ( es, Valles Centrales) of Oaxaca, also simply known as the Oaxaca Valley, is a geographic region located within the modern-day state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. In an administrative context, it has been defined as comprising ...
around
Cuilapan
Cuilapan de Guerrero is a town and municipality located in the central valley region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It is to the south of the capital city of Oaxaca on the road leading to Villa de Zaachila, and is in the Centro District in the ...
, closely related to the next
*the northeastern Alta around the Valley of
Nochixtlan, including
Yanhuitlan and
Coixtlahuaca
Coixtlahuaca ( Chocho: ''Nguichee;'' Mixtec: ''Yodzocoo;'' Nahuatl: ''Coaixtlahuacan'') was a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican state in the Mixteca Alta (now in Oaxaca, Mexico). Coixtlahuaca was a multi-ethnic polity, inhabited by both Chochos and ...
*the eastern Alta around the Valleys of
Teposcolula and
Tamasulapa
*the western Alta around the Valley of
Tlaxiaco
Tlaxiaco is a city, and its surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located in the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region, with a population of about 17,450.
The city is formally known as Her ...
,
Achiutla
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thum ...
, and
Chalcatongo
Chalcatongo de Hidalgo (also, Chalcatongo and Villa Hidalgo) is a municipality in the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.
It is the birthplace of former Governor of Oax ...
Holland (1959)
The following classification is given by William R. Holland (1959), as cited in Josserand (1983:134-135). This preliminary classification is a glottochronological study of the dialects of 22 Mixtec and 4 Cuicatec towns.
*Zone 1:
Ixtayutla,
Mechoacán,
Jamiltepec
Santiago Jamiltepec (Mixtec: Casandoo) is a town, and the seat of surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District in the west of the Costa Chica Region, 30 km east of Pin ...
,
Huazolotitlán,
Pinotepa Nacional
Pinotepa Nacional (formally: Santiago Pinotepa Nacional; in Mixtec, ''Ñuu Ñoko'', which means Twenty-House Town) is a city and seat of the municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District ...
*Zone 2:
Ixtayutla,
Mechoacán,
Jamiltepec
Santiago Jamiltepec (Mixtec: Casandoo) is a town, and the seat of surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District in the west of the Costa Chica Region, 30 km east of Pin ...
,
Pinotepa de Don Luis,
Pinotepa Nacional
Pinotepa Nacional (formally: Santiago Pinotepa Nacional; in Mixtec, ''Ñuu Ñoko'', which means Twenty-House Town) is a city and seat of the municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District ...
,
Atoyac,
Tlacamama
*Zone 3:
Santo Tomás Ocotepec
Santo Tomás Ocotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the state of ...
,
Santa Lucía Monte Verde,
San Miguel el Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the st ...
,
San Esteban Atatlahuca
San Esteban Atatlahuca is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the ...
*Zone 4:
San Rafael Guerrero
*Zone 5:
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
*Zone 6:
Santa María Peñoles,
Huitepec
Huitepec is the mountain towering to the west of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. It is a volcano that was active most recently about 100 years ago and is covered in cloud forest. It is about 2700 meters high, making it ...
*Zone 7:
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
*Zone 8:
Jocoticpac /
Jocotipac
*Zone 9:
Cuyamecalco
*Zone 10:
San Juan Coatzospan
*Zone 11:
Chigmecatitlán,
Santa Catarina Tlaltempan
Holland (1959) also gives 3 areal groupings for these zones.
*Costa: Zones 1, 2
*Alta: Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
*Baja: Zones 8, 9, 10, 11
However, Josserand (1983) states that these groupings are based on flawed methodologies, including a faulty conception of the geographical layout of the Mixteca. Many towns that Holland listed as ''Baja'' are in fact ''Alta'', and vice versa.
Arana (1960)
The following classification is given by Evangelina Arana-Osnaya (1960:257), as cited in Josserand (1983:137).
*Group 1:
Chigmecatitlán,
Tlaltempan
*Group 2:
Cuyamecalco,
San Juan Coatzospan
*Group 3a:
Huitepec
Huitepec is the mountain towering to the west of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. It is a volcano that was active most recently about 100 years ago and is covered in cloud forest. It is about 2700 meters high, making it ...
,
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
,
Santa María Peñoles,
San Juan Tamazola
*Group 3b:
Cuilapan
Cuilapan de Guerrero is a town and municipality located in the central valley region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It is to the south of the capital city of Oaxaca on the road leading to Villa de Zaachila, and is in the Centro District in the ...
; probably also
Xoxocotla and other towns - where Mixtec is now no longer spoken
*Group 4a:
San Miguel el Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the st ...
,
San Esteban Atatlahuca
San Esteban Atatlahuca is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the ...
,
Santo Tomás Ocotepec
Santo Tomás Ocotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the state of ...
,
Jocoticpac; San Rafael in
Guerrero
Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
*Group 4b:
Mechoacán,
Jamiltepec
Santiago Jamiltepec (Mixtec: Casandoo) is a town, and the seat of surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District in the west of the Costa Chica Region, 30 km east of Pin ...
,
Pinotepa de Don Luis,
Ixtayutla,
Huazolotitlán,
Tlacamama,
Pinotepa Nacional
Pinotepa Nacional (formally: Santiago Pinotepa Nacional; in Mixtec, ''Ñuu Ñoko'', which means Twenty-House Town) is a city and seat of the municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District ...
,
Atoyac
Mak & Longacre (1960)
Cornelia Mak and Robert Longacre (1960) is the first reconstruction of Proto-Mixtec, which is the ancestor of Mixtec proper as opposed to Mixtecan. Below is a classification inferred from Mak & Longacre (1960) by Josserand (1983:142). 9 groups and a total of 28 towns are given.
*Central Mixteca Alta:
San Miguel el Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the st ...
,
San Esteban Atatlahuca
San Esteban Atatlahuca is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the ...
*Southern Mixteca Alta:
Santiago Yosondúa
Santiago Yosondúa is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 215.61 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the sta ...
,
Santa Cruz Itundujia
Santa Cruz Itundujia is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the ...
,
San Mateo Santigui,
San Pedro el Alto,
San Fernando Yucucundo
*Western Mixteca Alta:
Santo Tomás Ocotepec
Santo Tomás Ocotepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the state of ...
*Lowland Mixteca (Mixteca de la Costa):
Jicaltepec,
Pinotepa de Don Luis,
Mechoacán,
Tlacamama,
Atoyac
*Mixteca Baja: San Juan Mixtepec,
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
*Guerrero:
Metlatonoc
*Puebla:
Tonahuixtla, Xayacatlán,
Chigmecatitlán
*Eastern Mixteca Alta:
Estetla,
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
,
Tidaa,
San Juan Diuxi,
Santiago Mitlatongo,
Nuxaa,
San Juan Tamazola
*Northeastern Mixteca Alta:
San Juan Coatzospan,
Cuyamecalco
Spores (1967)
The following classification, based on "archaeological, ethnohistorical and modern information in his delimitation of interaction spheres within the Mixteca", is given by Richard Spores in ''The Mixtec Kings and Their People'' (1967), as cited in Josserand (1983:128). A total of 18 dialects are given.
*
Apoala,
Apasco,
Sosola; eastern frontier with Chinantec, Cuicatec, and Zapotec
*
Coixtlahuaca
Coixtlahuaca ( Chocho: ''Nguichee;'' Mixtec: ''Yodzocoo;'' Nahuatl: ''Coaixtlahuacan'') was a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican state in the Mixteca Alta (now in Oaxaca, Mexico). Coixtlahuaca was a multi-ethnic polity, inhabited by both Chochos and ...
, Huautla,
Tequixixtepec
*
Tonalá, Chila,
Petlalcingo,
Mariscala, Acatlán; towns on the northern frontier with Nahuatl and Tlapanec
*
Huajuapan
*
Silacayoapan; ranchos on Guerrero border
*
Tecomaxtlahuaca,
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
*
Tlaxiaco
Tlaxiaco is a city, and its surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located in the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region, with a population of about 17,450.
The city is formally known as Her ...
, and its ranchos of
Cuquila,
Ñumí
Ñumí (Guaraní: ''Ñumi'') is a district of the Guairá Department, Paraguay.
Is located to the south of the city of Villarrica, the capital of the department, and to the east of the San Salvador district. Is connected to both by wide road ...
,
Mixtepec
*
Teposcolula, and its ranchos; Tayata,
Achiutla
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thum ...
, and about 8 other communities, all of which use the
Teposcolula market
*
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
, and its ranchos;
Mitlatongo
*
Chalcatongo
Chalcatongo de Hidalgo (also, Chalcatongo and Villa Hidalgo) is a municipality in the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.
It is the birthplace of former Governor of Oax ...
,
San Miguel el Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the st ...
*
Yucuañe, and 9 or 10 surrounding communities
*
Teozacoalco
San Pedro Teozacoalco is a town and Municipalities of Oaxaca, municipality in Oaxaca, in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Nochixtlán District in the southeast of the Mixteca Region.
As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 1 ...
,
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
*
Putla
*
Zacatepec
*
Tututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site. It is located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period (ca. 12th to early 16th centuries). At i ...
,
Jamiltepec
Santiago Jamiltepec (Mixtec: Casandoo) is a town, and the seat of surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District in the west of the Costa Chica Region, 30 km east of Pin ...
*
Yolotepec
*
Yanhuitlán,
Chicahua,
Soyaltepec,
Cántaros,
Coyotepec
Coyotepec Municipality is a municipality in State of Mexico, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; ...
,
Nochixtlán,
Tonaltepec
*
Tamazulapan,
Tejutla,
Teotongo,
Chilapa de Díaz
Bradley (1968, 1970)
The following classification is given by C. Henry Bradley (1970), as cited in Josserand (1983:132). A total of 11 languages are given. His classification was most likely based on
SIL International
SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics) is an evangelical Christian non-profit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to ex ...
's mutual intelligibility surveys.
*Northern:
Xayacatlán,
Huajuapan,
Chigmecatitlán
*Northeastern:
Apoala,
Coatzospan,
Cuyamecalco
*Eastern:
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
,
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
,
Huitepec
Huitepec is the mountain towering to the west of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. It is a volcano that was active most recently about 100 years ago and is covered in cloud forest. It is about 2700 meters high, making it ...
*East-central:
Amoltepec
*Central:
Yosondúa,
San Miguel,
Molinos,
San Esteban (Atatlahuca),
Santo Tomás (Ocotepec),
Mixtepec
*South-central:
Nuyoo–
Yucuite,
Itundujia
*West-central:
Silacayoapan–
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
*Western:
Metlatonoc,
Coicoyán
*Southwestern:
Ayutla
*Southern:
Jicaltepec,
Chayuco,
Zacatepec
*Southeastern:
Tututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site. It is located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period (ca. 12th to early 16th centuries). At i ...
However, Bradley (1968) had given a different classification which included only 7 languages.
*Northeast:
Apoala,
Cuyamecalco
*Northwest:
Chigmecatitlán,
Xayacatlán–
Chazumba,
Cacaloxtepec
*Mixteca Baja:
Mixtepec,
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
–
Silacayoapan,
Coicoyán
*Guerrero:
Coatzingo,
Malinaltepec,
Yolosochitl,
Ayutla
*Mixteca de la Costa:
Zacatepec,
Pinotepa,
Ixtayutla,
Jamiltepec
Santiago Jamiltepec (Mixtec: Casandoo) is a town, and the seat of surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
It is located in the Jamiltepec District in the west of the Costa Chica Region, 30 km east of Pin ...
,
Tututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site. It is located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period (ca. 12th to early 16th centuries). At i ...
*Western Mixteca Alta:
Ñumí
Ñumí (Guaraní: ''Ñumi'') is a district of the Guairá Department, Paraguay.
Is located to the south of the city of Villarrica, the capital of the department, and to the east of the San Salvador district. Is connected to both by wide road ...
,
Chalcatongo
Chalcatongo de Hidalgo (also, Chalcatongo and Villa Hidalgo) is a municipality in the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.
It is the birthplace of former Governor of Oax ...
,
Yosondúa,
Itundujia,
Atatlahuca
*Eastern Mixteca Alta:
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
,
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
Egland & Bartholomew (1983)
Egland & Bartholomew find 29 groups at a 70% mutual-intelligibility level. The towns they tested are the following, grouped at 60% intelligibility; a question mark indicates that intelligibility testing had not been done with non-neighboring varieties.
*Coatzospan–Cuyamecalco
**
Santa Ana Cuauhtémoc Cuyamecalco per E16 Coatzospan iz**
Cuyamecalco tu*
Apoala,
Jocotipac,
Ixtaltepec,
Chicahua ip*
San Bartolo Soyaltepec
San Bartolo Soyaltepec is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 70.17 km².
It is part of the Teposcolula District in the center of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the ...
mq*
Santiago Chazumba
Santiago Chazumba is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².
It is part of the Huajuapan District
Huajuapan District is located in the north of the Mixteca Region of the State of Oaxa ...
tb Tonahuixtla,
Cosoltepec tb Xayacatlán de Bravo it Tepejillo,
Zapotitlán Palmas it Petlalcingo
it, xtb both in the town**
5% Xayacatlán in the other direction*
Chigmecatitlán ii*
Nuxaá xy*
Estetla,
Peñoles
Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and the world leader in silver production. Peñoles is a company with active mines wit ...
il Huitepec
Huitepec is the mountain towering to the west of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, in southern Mexico. It is a volcano that was active most recently about 100 years ago and is covered in cloud forest. It is about 2700 meters high, making it ...
xs, mil Tlazoyaltepec qh, mil San Juan Tamazola mx*
Tidaá tx(60 w Peñoles)
*
San Miguel Piedras tp*
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was a Mixtec citystate in the Mixteca Alta region of the modern-day state of Oaxaca which is now visible as an archeological site and a modern town of Santiago Tilantongo. It is located at 17°15' N. Lat. and 97°17' W. Long. Its Mix ...
td*?Ñumí–Tlacotepec
**
Ñumí
Ñumí (Guaraní: ''Ñumi'') is a district of the Guairá Department, Paraguay.
Is located to the south of the city of Villarrica, the capital of the department, and to the east of the San Salvador district. Is connected to both by wide road ...
,
Nunduchi,
Nicananduta,
San Antonio Monteverde tn Sto. Tomás Ocotepec ie Yucuañe vg**
Tlacotepec
Tlacotepec is a city and seat of the municipality of General Heliodoro Castillo, in the state of Guerrero, south-western Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North ...
tm(69 w Atatláhuca)
*
Yucunicoco mc San Juan Mixtepec ix(unidirectional intelligibility)
*
Nuyoo,
Yucuhiti eh*
San Esteban Atatláhuca (68 w Yosondúa)
ib Santa Lucía Monteverde dv Molinos;
Itundujía ce*
Yosondúa (70 w Atatláhuca)
pm San Miguel el Grande
San Miguel El Grande is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 4705 km².
It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region
The Mixteca Region is a region in the st ...
,
Chalcatongo
Chalcatongo de Hidalgo (also, Chalcatongo and Villa Hidalgo) is a municipality in the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region.
It is the birthplace of former Governor of Oax ...
ig Yolotepec;
Teita tj*Santa Maria Sindihui Mixtec, Santa Maria Sindihui [xts]
*Silacayopan group
**
Cacaloxtepec [miu]
**
Silacayoapan, San Jorge Nuchita Mixtec, San Jorge Nuchita [mks], Ixpantepec Nieves Mixtec, Ixpantepec Nieves, Santiago Tamazola Mixtec, Santiago Tamazola, San Simón Zahuatlán Mixtec, San Simón Zahuatlán, Atenango Mixtec, Atenango, Yucuñuti Mixtec, Yucuñuti [mxb], San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán Mixtec, San Miguel Ahuehuetitlán;
Juxtlahuaca: Tecomastlahuaca Mixtec, Tecomastlahuaca, San Rafael Tepejillo Mixtec, San Rafael Tepejillo,
Juxtlahuaca
Juxtlahuaca is a cave and archaeological site in the Mexican state of Guerrero containing murals linked to the Olmec motifs and iconography. Along with the nearby Oxtotitlán cave, Juxtlahuaca walls contain the earliest sophisticated painted art ...
, Tindú Mixtec, Tindú [vmc]; Cahuatache Mixtec, Cahuatache [mim]; Metlatónoc Mixtec, Metlatónoc [mxv]
**
Coicoyán, San Martín Peras Mixtec, S. M. Peras [jmx]
**Guadalupe Portezuelo Mixtec, Guadalupe Portezuelo [mxa w Zahuatlán]
*?Cuatzoquitengo Mixtec, Cuatzoquitengo [mim] (not close to Cahuatache)
*
Ayutla [miy] (divergent)
*
Amoltepec [mbz]
*
Tututepec
Tututepec is a Mesoamerican archaeological site. It is located in the lower Río Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca that formed the nucleus of an extensive Mixtec state during the Late Postclassic period (ca. 12th to early 16th centuries). At i ...
(61 w Ixtayutla), Acatepec Mixtec, Acatepec [mtu]
*Chayuco–Zacatepec
**San Cristobál Mixtec, San Cristobál (60 w Jicaltepec) [mxt], Mechoacán Mixtec, Mechoacán,
Chayuco [mih] (69 Coicoyán)
**?
Ixtayutla [vmj] (80 w San Cristobál, 79/63% Amoltepec, 59 Chayuco)
**
Zacatepec [mza]
*
Jicaltepec [mio] (74 w Ixtayutla), Colorado Mixtec, Colorado [mjc], Tepetlapa Mixtec, Tepetlapa, Sayultepec Mixtec, Sayultepec, Don Luis Mixtec, Don Luis, Western Jamiltepec Mixtec, [Western] Jamiltepec, Jicayán Mixtec, Jicayán, San Lorenzo Mixtec, San Lorenzo, Atoyac Mixtec, Atoyac; Huazolotitlán Mixtec, Huazolotitlán [w Eastern Jamiltepec per E16]
''Ethnologue''
The classification of ''Ethnologue'' is largely based on Egland & Bartholomew. There is no sub-classification, only a list of 52 varieties, though these are reported to have a great range of intelligibility, from essentially none to 90% or higher.
See also
* Municipalities of Oaxaca
* Municipalities of Guerrero
* List of Oto-Manguean languages
* Oto-Manguean languages
** Mixtecan languages
** Mixtec languages
* Classification of indigenous languages of the Americas
Notes and references
* Egland, Steven, Doris Bartholomew, and Saúl Cruz Ramos. 1983. ''La inteligibilidad interdialectal en México: Resultados de algunos sondeos''. México, D.F: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano.: https://web.archive.org/web/20151122014320/http://www-01.sil.org/mexico/sondeos/G038a-SondeosInteligibilidad.htm - Note: The 1983 date is only a reprint date. Actual publication date is 1978.
* Josserand, Judy Kathryn. 1983. ''Mixtec Dialect History.'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Tulane University.
{{Mixtec languages
Mixtec language, *
Language classification, Mixtec