Resettlement in Coyay
- a Totonac Indian town in the Sierra Norte

Cuetzalan

Cuetzalan is located 180 km North East of Puebla City.
It is a Nahuatl Indian town which has preserved many of its customs and traditions
It has an extensive network of underground caves which attract cavers and potholers from all over the world.
It is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Puebla City via Amozoc, Zaragosa, and Zacapoaxtla.
There are direct buses from Puebla and Mexico City
Its population in the 2001 census was given as 44,959.
Map of Puebla State

A Nahuatl Indian town in Puebla State, Mexico

Faces and Images from Cuetzalan

Nahuatl Indian man in the Sunday "Tianguis"

Market trader in Cuetzalan

Craftwork in the Sunday market

Nahua indian woman making "gorditas" at a food stall

Nahua Indian woman making "gorditas" at a food stall

Cuetzalan is a world away from the modern Mexico of Puebla or Mexico City. Although most residents can also speak Spanish, Nahuatl is the language of the streets and markets.
It's a shock to the system for the fluent Spanish speaker, used to listening in to the general chatter. Nahuatl has no linguistic relation to Spanish, having an independent grammar and structure. Evesdropping on two elderly Nahuatl speaking women in the back of the colectivo pick-up, the only words I picked up were "caballo" (horse) and café orgánico (organic coffee)
The Aztecs never saw a horse or a coffee plantation until after the arrival of the conquistadores, so the Indigenous language had to "borrow" the words from Spanish.

Indeed, the Spanish language does the same with English, due to the influence of the powerful neighbour to the north.
At a recent child care conference in Puebla, the chairperson used phrases like "el know-how" and "el business"

Daybreak in Cuetzalan zócalo

Nahua Indian campesino walking into Cuetzalan

Nahua Indian campesino walking into Cuetzalan for the Sunday market

A chat between traders before the day's work begins

A chat between market traders before the day's work begins

Nahua Indian woman and child