Otomi Research Paper

600 Words3 Pages
The Otomies Name Even the origins of the name Otomí is not perfectly clear: Soustelle believes it may be from the Nahua Otomitl, from otocac, one who walks and mitl, arrow. He mentions that it may be from the Ñañhu word othomí , from otho, not having and mi, to seat or install oneself. However, he discards this idea, saying that the Otomí have mainly been sedentary. Their lifestyle may have been agricultural, but it hardly seems to have been permanently situated in one place. Origins Soustelle refers to Sahagún to place Otomí speakers along with the speakers of Nahuatl, Popoloca, Huastec and Olmec at Nonoalca on the Gulf coast of what is now Puebla, as well as in the high plateau area of Tlaxcala where they dominated the Pinome-Chocho-Popoloca…show more content…
The Otomí are dispersed throughout the tierras frías : the Sierra de las Cruces (2300-3500 meters high, plateaus, volcanic hills, evergreens, rivers and lakes), and the plateaus of the Querétaro, Hidalgo and Guanajuato states.The Sierra Madre divides the plateaus in Hidalgo between Pachuca and Tulancingo and to the East at the state border with Veracruz. Ixtenco is the only Otomí town in Tlaxcala, though the area mainly belonged to the Otomí before Cortes, and is located at an altitude of some 2250 meters where corn, wheat and maguey are cultivated. All of these areas can be considered subtropical highlands and have both a very dry and a long, light rain period, with the coldest region being Ixtlahuaca and the driest Ixmiquilpan (116.2 mm per year). Maguey is used for food and fiber, often mixed in the form of pulque (fermented honey-water) with corn. Economic activity Economic transactions are usually made with cash, although many people also perform swapping objects such as changing wood, lime, Xite, lechuguilla stalks used as escobetillas, herbs,…show more content…
Crafts As regards handcrafts can be said that the Mezquital Valley is rich in the variety of objects that are made manually, as in the aesthetic expression of the Otomi, manifested in the objects they do, many of the personally which are used for male or female clothing and household ornaments. The craftsmen of this place have created works of great originality and beauty as miniature musical instruments, made of juniper wood inlaid with abalone shell, which works in the neighborhood of the

More about Otomi Research Paper

Open Document