Matlatzinca people facts for kids
The Matlatzinca are a group of native people from the Toluca Valley in central Mexico. The name "Matlatzinca" can mean two things: it refers to these people, and it also refers to their special language, also called Matlatzinca.
The word "Matlatzinca" comes from the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs. It means "people of Matlatzinco." Matlatzinco was the Aztec name for the Toluca Valley. The main city in this valley was also called Matlatzinco. Today, we know its ancient ruins as the Calixtlahuaca archaeological site.
Long ago, before the Spanish arrived, the Toluca Valley was home to people who spoke at least four different languages: Otomi, Matlatzinca, Mazahua, and Nahuatl. This means that anyone living in the Toluca Valley could have been called "Matlatzinca," no matter which language they spoke. When old Aztec records or Spanish writers talk about "the Matlatzinca," it can sometimes be confusing. They might mean people who spoke the Matlatzinca language, or all the people of the Toluca Valley, or even just the people from the city of Calixtlahuaca.
The Matlatzinca Language
The Matlatzinca language is part of a larger group of languages called Oto-Pamean. This group is a branch of the even bigger Oto-Manguean language family. Other languages in this family include Otomi, Mazahua, Pame, and Chichimeca Jonaz.
When experts talk about "Matlatzinca" in terms of language, they are talking about the people who speak the Matlatzinca language. For a very long time, this language has been spoken in the Toluca Valley, which is west of the Valley of Mexico.
The Matlatzinca language actually has two main types, or dialects. These two dialects are so different that people who speak one cannot easily understand someone speaking the other. They are called Ocuiltec (or Tlahuica) and Matlatzinca proper. Even though they started as one language, they have changed so much that they are now often seen as separate languages.
Sadly, the Matlatzinca language is in great danger of disappearing. Today, only about 100 people speak Matlatzinca proper. Most of these speakers are elderly people living in a village called San Francisco Oxtotilpa. The Ocuiltec/Tlahuica dialect is spoken by even fewer people, between 50 and 100. These speakers live in the Ocuilan area, in villages like San Juan Atzingo and Santa Lucía del Progreso.
