Thanks to both academic scholarship and popular culture, the Aztecs and the Maya are probably the best known and most studied among Mesoamerican civilizations. Yet, as Ronald Spores and Andrew Balkansky show in this ambitious book, the Mixtecs of Oaxaca merit a place among the great civilizations, not only for their rich history and culture, but also for their ability to survive and adapt to changing world-historical forces down to the present. In this work, which is a culmination of four decades of engagement with Mixtec history, Spores and Balkansky provide a go-to reference, not just for the specialist but also for newcomers. The book is sprinkled with suggestions on future directions for research.
The book itself is divided into two parts. The first examines the pre-Hispanic Mixtec culture, and the second focuses on Mixtec history from the postconquest period to the present. In its sheer breadth, this work effectively bridges preconquest history with colonial and modern history—no mean feat. Methodologically, the study proposes a “convergent” and integrative approach. The authors’ own expertise in archeology and documentary ethnology enables them to provide a more complete picture of the Mixtec past than could be obtained through any single discipline. The study offers a synthesis not only of diverse methodologies but also of varied source materials, from archaeological remains to wills and testaments, and from probanzas to personal histories of contemporary Mixtec migrants.
The first part of the book, which examines the Mixtecs in ancient times, is the more effective. Although the focus is on Mixteca Alta, this section provides an impressive example of the convergent methodology. Challenging widely held assumptions about Mixtec civilization, the authors argue for viewing Mixtec culture as neither derived from nor secondary to the Zapotec but rather as comparable to other great Mesoamerican civilizations in terms of population, internal hierarchies, and interaction with other regions. Some would argue that the authors take this argument to the extreme when they reject the notion that the Olmecs were the progenitor culture to the Mixtecs: they assert that, “one might as well readily argue that the Mixtec were the mother culture rather than the reverse.” Still, the authors are able to demonstrate convincingly the long-range interactions between the Mixtecs and the other population centers of Mesoamerica.
The strength of the second half of the book lies in its discussion of cacicazgos, especially the female rulers or cacicas. As numerous studies of colonial and nineteenth-century Mesoamerica have shown, caciques occupied an extremely important position, as both defenders of the indigenous community and brokers for the colonial state. Spores and Balkansky show how the cacique figure survived from preconquest times well into the early national period and pay particular attention to the power and prestige of the cacicas. Although the nature of the source materials and a focus on cacicazgo prevent the authors from drawing conclusions about female commoners, one is left with the impression that women in Mixtec culture enjoyed a high social status in general.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this work is its highlighting of the gaps in scholarship on the Mixtecs, gaps the authors point out at various places in the book. Whether they be due to the lack of systematic archeological excavations or the paucity of other sources, the authors identify point out the paucity of current knowledge not only of Mixteca Baja but also of Mixteca Alta in certain areas, such as evolution of Mixtec writing.
Astute students will take pointers from this work to guide their inquiries into Mixtec history and culture. The general audience after reading this work from cover to cover will likely agree with Spores and Balkansky that “the Mixtecs developed a great civilization, a true variant of Mesoamerican pattern. They were not Teotihuacanos, or imitators of the Zapotecs of Monte Albán, or Mayans, Toltecs, or Nahuas. They were something else, something quite special” (238).
