| Guerrero Chontal | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | Guerrero |
| Extinct | after 16th century |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
Guerrero Chontal (or Chontal of Guerrero, Chontal de Guerrero) is an unclassified language that was spoken in what is now the Mexican state of Guerrero during the prehispanic and early colonial periods. It is now extinct. There is no existing description of this language.
Guerrero Chontal should not be confused with Chontal Maya, which is a Mayan language that is still spoken, nor with Oaxaca Chontal, an endangered language spoken in Oaxaca. Chontal is a generic Nahuatl word for foreigner, applied to several unrelated ethnic groups.
According to colonial records, this language was spoken to the north of the Balsas River and to the west of the Coixca River, in the northern region of the state of Guerrero. In the 16th century, the primary Chontal settlements were Ixcateopan, Alahuistlan, Ostuma, Coatepec, Toltoltepec, Teloloapan, and Apastla. [1] Other towns where Chontal was spoken included Iguala, Tepecoacuilco, Cocula, Chilacachapa, Acamixtla, Chontalcoatlán, Noxtepec, Tetipac, Tlamacazapa, and Zacualpan. A Chontal language was also mentioned at Pungarabato, now Ciudad Altamirano. [2]
Due to the lack of data, Chontal of Guerrero is unclassifiable. One 16th-century report mentioned that it was "spoken in the throat" and that "it wasn't written because it wasn't pronounced". The same report related it to Tuxtec, another unclassified language spoken to the east, in towns such as Iguala, Mayanalan, Tlalcozauhtitlan and Oapan. It has thus been suggested that Chontal and Tuxtec could have been related, or even dialects of the same language. However, a different source mentioned that Tuxtec was once spoken in Ixcateopan, but by 1579 Chontal had replaced it.
In the 16th century, Chontal was evidently a fairly widespread language, but was ignored by Spanish missionaries, despite smaller languages receiving some attention. Given that the Chontal region was home to many people bilingual in both Chontal and Nahuatl, the missionaries were perhaps able to rely on the latter language in order to communicate and preach their religion, without needing to know Chontal.
Donald Brand opined that Chontal was probably an Oto-Manguean language. [3]
The Chontal were likely central participants in the earlier Mezcala culture of the same region.
The Chontal, much like other Mesoamerican societies, were an agricultural people divided into three classes of nobles, commoners (who paid tribute to the rulers and were only allowed to eat meat or drink alcohol on special occasions) and slaves (composed of thieves and prisoners of war). Rulership was hereditary, and in Oztuma the ruler had two important assistants. Typical clothing consisted of a cloth garment tied at the shoulder for men, and petticoats and huipils for women. Houses were low, made of stone or adobe with roofs of zacate and doors and fences of cane. Some houses had small granaries. Rulers' houses were situated higher. Teloloapan, Oztuma and Alahuistlan were large towns dominated by a main street, while in Ichcateopan houses were scattered among ravines. Around Acuitlapan, the people lived in caves and ravines. Alahuistlan had fertile land that yielded cacao, honey, cotton, chiles, and fruits, and the town was also one of the most significant sources of salt in the region.
Warriors used the bow and arrow, spears, shields, and cotton armor. The Chontal built fortifications, many of which were later adapted by the Aztecs in order to fortify the border with the Purepecha Empire. Temples were made of stone, had many steps and were guarded by "old ones". The people would make requests of these old ones, and they would then perform bloodletting rituals in front of an idol and offer it copal or cotton mantles. The dead were buried in a seated position with their possessions (including their slaves) and plenty of food. When a ruler was buried, a male and female slave were killed and buried with him. In Coatepec, if the deceased lacked relatives he was reportedly simply thrown into a field.
By the late postclassic period, the Chontal country seems to have been progressively settled by Nahua groups, especially the Coixcas, apparently resulting in conflict. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Chontal of Apaztla were at war with the neighboring Nahua of Cuezala, who had migrated to the area at some point in the past. The Chontal claimed that they had granted the Nahua land, only to be later conquered by the same. The Nahua in turn claimed that the Chontal had refused them land, so they first had lived in caves by hunting and obtaining corn from neighboring towns before eventually building houses of their own and adopting agriculture.
The entirety of Chontal territory was conquered by the Aztec Empire, seemingly under Moctezuma I. Oztuma, Teloloapan and Alahuistlan later revolted upon the coronation of Ahuitzotl, prompting a reconquest campaign which killed or captured 44,200 Chontal by Aztec estimations. [4]