Main CONTRIBUTIONS contributions of the ZAPOTECA culture

Much of the elements that we use today have their origin in the ancient civilizations that existed during the Old age. In the case of the Mexican states, a large part of their traditions are born from Mesoamerican cultures, one of these being the Zapotec. To know the importance of the Zapotecs, in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to talk about the contributions of the Zapotec culture.

The Zapotecare one of the main pre-Columbian cultures of the Mesoamerica zoneIn other words, it is one of those peoples that inhabited the American zone before the arrival of the European colonizers. Like the rest of the great Mesoamerican cultures, the Zapotecs also had a zone of greater influence, being in this case the so-called Valley of Oaxaca, since they were a town without great expansion.

Regarding the chronology of the Zapotecs we can locate their origin 2500 years ago, although as in all these cultures it is difficult to place it in a specific period of time, since there may be great variations depending on the source we consult.

The Zapotecs have a great Olmec influence, and they coexisted with the Mayans and the Aztecs, so much of their contributions can be observed in these two Mesoamerican peoples.

To get to know the Zapotecs in greater depth and therefore understand the importance of their contributions, we must speak even briefly about some of their main characteristics. Between the main features are the following:

• Like much of Mesoamerican cultures were polytheists, that is, they believed in the existence of a large number of gods, so they had a great pantheon with many gods.
• Almost all Mesoamerican cultures were closely attached to the nature concepts, and the Zapotecs were no exception, with a large number of mythological elements related to nature.
• Death was a concept closely linked to religion, there being a great cult towards the deceased but also making sacrifices for the Zapotec gods.
• Although it is a less known culture than the mayan or the aztecs his influence was enormous, being therefore important to know their contributions to the rest of Mesoamerican culture.
• They were great innovators as far as languages ​​are concerned, with a great variety of languages ​​and symbols.
• Its main economic source was farming, being its base the most common agricultural products in the area.

To continue with this lesson on the contributions of Zapotec culture, we must comment on some of the major influences of the Zapotecs, knowing those inventions that were very relevant to later cultures.

Writing

In the Zapotec culture, languages ​​were a very important part of society, existing more than 10 languages different that were represented by the use of various symbols. Regarding these Zapotec glyphs we can speak of it as one of the oldest forms of writing of all, being key its discovery to know more data of this culture and to understand the evolution of the writing of the Mesoamericans.

At the same time they also possessed a own numbering system, being a system based on the vigesimal number system instead of the decimal that we use today. The numerical system was very important for the Zapotecs, since it was its invention that made possible the creation of their calendar, being something vital for the agriculture of the time.

Farm products

Mesoamericans had a diet based mostly on agricultural products, some of them being common in all Mesoamerican cultures, but without a doubt the most important element has always been the corn. Some historians consider that the Zapotecs they were the first to use corn as the basis of Mesoamerican gastronomy, while other people consider that this was just another of the cultural heritages born with the Olmecs. Even so, it is necessary to understand that thanks to the influence of the Zapotecs, corn spread throughout Mesoamerica, becoming the most common agricultural value in the entire area.

Calendar

An element that is usually common in almost all cultures with some relevance are calendars, being resources used by all those civilizations with a certain development. In the case of the Zapotecs they had two calendars, a natural one of 365 days used to control the times of agriculture and that was very similar to ours, and another of 260 days used for rituals and other themes related to mythology, such as some events natural.

Agricultural improvements

Like all cultures based on agriculture, the Zapotecs also made a series of contributions and innovations to improve agricultural production, serving it to have greater surplus and commercial power with other cultures, which ends up causing a greater influence on other peoples. Among the agricultural improvements we can talk about advanced irrigation systems, and its remains can still be found today in certain areas of Central America.

Art

The Zapotecs were not only farmers, but they were also great artists, being able to find important architectural remains and artisan remains currently. Their craftsmanship was mainly the realization of pots and bowls, either for their use daily or for use as funeral urns, due to the great importance of the cult of the deceased of the culture.