The Mixe People

of Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec

📍Oaxaca State, Mexico

The Mixe are an ethnic minority group from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They are sometimes grouped together with the Zoque and Popoluca peoples under the umbrella term “Mixe-Zoquean.” The Mixe live in mountainous areas of Oaxaca. The traditional Mixe groups are largely agricultural, but they are also known for their high-quality cotton weaving. 

The Mixe culture takes influence from traditional Spanish, Mayan, and Roman-Catholic cultures and religious practices. Many consider themselves to be Roman-Catholic, but still take part in various historical rituals and ceremonies. Mixe mythology focuses on two sacred twins, the Sun and the Moon, though there are other significant deities such as Thunder, Earth, and Great Lady Life. 

The Mixe are one of few similar groups to retain their own language also called Mixe. There are many variations of Mixe with little mutual intelligibility between them despite the language’s small speaker base. Mixe is classified as an endangered language, with an estimated total of 100,000 speakers across all its variants.

A traditional Mixe outfit consists of a long skirt and an blouse called a huipil. Huipiles are commonly worn by many indigenous groups in Central America. They are usually simply constructed and loose fitting for temperature control and ease of movement. Traditional huipiles are made on a backstrap loom and decorated with embroidery and woven designs that often denote class and community. Generally,  more intricate designs denoted a higher class. Many women had more intricately designed huipil for festivals, and some were even decorated with pictures of Saints for religious ceremonies. The huipil is still worn today, by both indigenous and non-indigenous women. Smaller communities continue in the weaving tradition, but modern huipil can be made from pre-produced cotton fabric. 

Various styles of Mixe huipil have been copied and mass-produced by major fashion brands.